5787/2026
Those Who Make Shabbat Morning Kiddush on Hard Liquor
Some observant Jews customarily make Shabbat morning Kiddush on hard liquor. While those who do so are often following the example set by their fathers and grandfathers, one wonders whether there is a Halachic justification for this practice. Should we instead recite the morning Kiddush on wine?
Pesachim 107a – Ameimar and Chamar Medina for Havdalah
The Gemara (Pesachim 107a) tells of Ameimar’s visit to a Jewish community where wine was unavailable for Havdalah. Ameimar ultimately permitted Havdalah on beer, recognizing it as the “Chamar Medina,” the region’s wine.
Kiddush on Beer
The Gemara (ad. loc.) presents a Tannaitic dispute over whether one may use beer for Kiddush. The Rambam (Hilchot Shabbat 29:17) codifies the majority opinion, which forbids using beer for Kiddush, even if it is Chamar Medina. However, the Rosh (Pesachim 10:17) cites the Ri and Ra’avan, who permit it.
The Rosh presents a compelling compromise. One should not use beer for the evening Kiddush, since bread may be used as an alternative to wine when wine is unavailable. However, beer should be used for the morning Kiddush, since bread is not a viable alternative to wine in this context. Making Shabbat morning Kiddush on bread would add nothing, since bread is required for the meal and the HaMotzi Berachah would be recited in any event. Hence, beer is a proper alternative to bread for the daytime Kiddush.
Shulchan Aruch and Rama
The Shulchan Aruch and Rama (Orach Chaim 272:9) codify the Rosh’s position.
The Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah (272:29) writes that in his region (late nineteenth-century Lithuania), wine was expensive, and most Jews, including leading Rabbanim, made daytime Kiddush on Chamar Medina. He nevertheless prefers making Shabbat morning Kiddush on wine, despite its expense.
Surprisingly, he adds (271:30) that if one prefers whiskey to wine, it is Lechatchilah to make the morning Kiddush on whiskey, since it qualifies as Chamar Medina in his region.
Rav Ovadia Yosef and Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata
Rav Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yabia Omer 3, Orach Chaim 19) strongly rejects the Mishnah Berurah’s position, noting that the Shulchan Aruch’s straightforward ruling is that Chamar Medina may be used only when wine is unavailable. Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata (53:7) agrees, stating that Chamar Medina is an alternative only when wine is unavailable or when one does not enjoy it.
These rulings are especially compelling given that kosher wine is available at virtually every price point in almost every Jewish community. Maintaining a custom inherited from one’s great-grandparents, who lived at a time when wine was prohibitively expensive, seems misplaced, as noted by Rav Shmuel Wosner (Teshuvot Sheivet HaLevi 5:32).
Lack of a Shiur
Rav Ovadia Yosef notes an even greater problem with those who make Kiddush on hard liquor. Kiddush requires a Revi’it of wine in the Kos, and one must drink a Melo Lugmav (a majority of a Revi’it; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 271:13). Haggadat Dol Dodi reports that Rav Moshe Feinstein defines a Revi’it for Shabbat morning Kiddush as 3.3 fluid ounces, making a Rov Revi’it 1.6 fluid ounces.
Thus, those who make daytime Kiddush with an ounce of hard liquor appear not to fulfill the Mitzvah. Is there any justification for this practice?
The lenient practice may be justified based on an interesting ruling of the Taz (Orach Chaim 210:1). He maintains that one ounce of hard liquor is equivalent to 3.3 ounces of wine or beer and warrants a Berachah Acharonah. The Taz proves his assertion from the Halachah of a Beriyah (an intact organism). Normally, one must consume a KeZayit of forbidden food to incur the punishment of Malkot. However, if one consumes an intact tiny creature, such as an ant, one is Chayav Malkot since he ate something significant.
The Taz concludes that a Shiur is subjective and that one ounce of hard liquor may therefore be viewed as a Revi’it. While some prominent authorities, such as the Eishel Avraham of Buchach (272), Teshuvot Maharasham (1:175), and Divrei Chaim (cited in the Orchot Chaim 272:2), apply the Taz’s reasoning to justify Shabbat morning Kiddush on an ounce of liquor, Rav Ovadia notes that the overwhelming consensus, including the Mishnah Berurah (272:30) and Kaf HaChaim (192:12), rejects this view.
Conclusion – Time to Update Our Practice
While there is some justification for those who continue to make Shabbat morning Kiddush on an ounce of hard liquor, it is preferable to restore the original practice of making Kiddush on at least 3.3 fluid ounces of wine. Proper Shabbat preparation includes ensuring that one has wine for the evening and daytime Kiddush, as well as for Havdalah. As outlined above, Kiddushah Rabba is a Kiddush to which we must accord proper respect, including reciting it over the correct Shiur of wine.