‫בס״ד‬
THE
SEDER
EXPLAINED
Rabbi Moshe Steiner
April 5th, 2016
Unit #2
Four Cups of Wine
Unit #2
Four Cups of Wine
THE
SEDER
EXPLAINED
ONE OF THE MOST WELL-RECOGNIZED TRADITIONS AT THE SEDER
IS KNOWN SIMPLY AS “THE FOUR CUPS OF WINE.”
> WHY FOUR CUPS, NOT FIVE OR SIX?
The four cups allude to the four terms of redemption:
And I will take you out (of Egypt)
‫והוצאתי‬
And I will rescue you (from their service)
‫והצלתי‬
And I shall redeem you (with an outstretched arm)
‫וגאלתי‬
And I shall take you (for Me as a people)
‫ולקחתי‬
> WHEN DO WE DRINK THE FOUR CUPS OF WINE DURING
THE SEDER?
Cup 1: Is the cup over which we recite the Kiddush—the blessing to sanctify Pesach
Cup 2: We drink after we recite the Haggadah—stories and explanations about the
Exodus
Cup 3: We drink at the conclusion of Grace After Meals
Cup 4: We drink after the Hallel—song of praise to G-d
> WHAT IS THE MINIMUM MEASUREMENT EACH CUP SHOULD BE TO FULFILL THE MITZVAH OF THE FOUR CUPS?
According to Chabad custom, the amount is 3.6 oz per cup. Other opinions maintain
a larger amount of 4 or 5 oz.
> RECLINING AT THE SEDER, WHEN AND HOW?
You are supposed to recline when you drink the four cups and when you eat the
matzah, korech (The matzah sandwich) and Afikoman ( The matzah “dessert”).
Some recline throughout the reciting of the Haggadah as well.
2 THE SEDER
EXPLAINED
with Rabbi Moshe Stainer
Unit #2
Four Cups of Wine
THE
SEDER
EXPLAINED
> THE CORRECT WAY TO RECLINE:
One should not recline forward or backward (because that’s not reclining), or to
their right (for health reasons); rather, one should recline to their left side. Some
maintain that if you forgot to recline during the four cups or the eating of the
matzah, you have not fulfilled the mitzvah and must do them over again.
> KADDESH:
As was mentioned earlier, the first of the four cups is drunk with Kiddush. This is
different than Kiddush every Shabbat, where one person makes the Kiddush for
everyone else. At the Seder, everyone makes their own Kiddush and drinks at least
3.6 oz (Chabad custom) as the first cup.
> THE ESOTERIC ANGLE.
Seder Message:
When G-d told Moshe to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, He said, “taavdun—
you will serve.”
“When you take the people out of
Egypt, you will serve G-d on this
mountain”
Exodus 3:12
‫בהוציאך את העם ממצרים תעבדון את האלהים על‬
‫ההר הזה‬
‫יב‬:‫ ג‬:‫שמות‬
The words taavdun and avdus (slavery) share the same root meaning of “servitude.”
So how can we celebrate our freedom, if all we really did was to go from servitude
to Egypt to servitude to G-d?
We often think of freedom as being able to do whatever we want whenever we
want. However, if this was our reality, it would be less freedom and more anarchy,
chaos, and survival of the fittest. Free people, then, need governing laws and limitations.
But slaves do too. So what’s the difference?
The difference lies in what the regulations’ purpose is. If the laws are there to control people, then those people are enslaved; if they are to benefit people in creating
a functioning and safe society, then these people are truly free. All of G-d’s commandments are designed to help us reach our fullest potential and to live the most
meaningful and beneficial way. Thus the laws of the Torah are not restricting but
rather freeing.
3 THE SEDER
EXPLAINED
with Rabbi Moshe Stainer
Unit #2
Four Cups of Wine
THE
SEDER
EXPLAINED
> NOTES
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4 THE SEDER
EXPLAINED
with Rabbi Moshe Stainer