Bava Batra 97

A sugya on today’s page starts with a comment from Rav Zutra bar Toviyya quoting Rav that the wine for Kiddush on Shabbat must be of the same quality that is fit to be poured as a libation upon the altar. The rabbis then consider which kinds of wine fail to meet this standard.

If we say it is to exclude the use of wine fresh from one’s press (i.e., grape juice) which has not yet fermented, that is difficult. But didn’t Rabbi Hiyya teach: One may not bring wine fresh from his press as a libation, but if one brought it as a libation, it is valid after the fact. And since if one brought it as a libation it is valid after the fact, we should also be able to use it for the sanctification of the Shabbat day, as Rava says: A person may squeeze the juice from a cluster of grapes and then recite the sanctification of the Shabbat day over it.

The “wine” under discussion here is not what we would today call wine, but freshly squeezed grape juice. When it came to pouring out libations on the Temple altar, grape juice was not permitted, but if it was used anyway the vibration was still valid. Given that it could, in this way, be used for a libation, the rabbis say it is valid for making Kiddush. This continues to hold with later legal codes: For Kiddush, wine is preferred, but grape juice is acceptable.

The daf wends its way through other potables that are initially questioned but ultimately accepted for Kiddush: wine from the top or bottom of the barrel (where there are concerns about surface scum and pomace), black wine, white wine, sweet wine, wine from the cellar, and wine made from raisins (regarding which there are concerns about odor and acidity). 

So is there any wine on which you can’t make Kiddush?

Rather, Rav’s statement serves to exclude souring wine, diluted wine, wine that has been left uncovered, as there is a concern that a snake may have injected its venom into it, wine made from grape pomace, and wine that has a foul odor. As it is taught in a beraita: With regard to all of these types of wine, one may not bring them as a libation, and if one brought one of them as a libation, it is disqualified.

The logic here is simple: These types of wine aren’t permitted as a libation, even retroactively, so they’re not permitted for Kiddush. Plus, they seem concerning or yucky. We discussed the exclusion of souring wine yesterday on 96a, uncovered wine makes sense from a standpoint of danger, stinky wine diminishes the joy of Shabbat, and there’s a bit of a back and forth about pomace wine. But the rabbis push back on the exclusion of diluted wine:

If one suggests that Rav’s statement serves to exclude diluted wine, why would such wine be disqualified for the sanctification of the Shabbat day? Diluting wine is an improvement of it, as Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Hanina, says: Even though the rabbis disagree with Rabbi Eliezer and hold that over undiluted wine one recites the blessing: Who created the fruit of the vine, nevertheless the rabbis concede to Rabbi Eliezer with regard to a cup used for a blessing, such as the cup of wine over which Grace after Meals is recited, that one does not recite the blessing over it until he adds water to it to make it palatable.

The rabbis turn this around. Not only is diluted wine acceptable; it is better than undiluted wine — which, in ancient times, was very strong and rarely drunk straight. For this reason, wine diluted with water is acceptable for Kiddush. (For what it’s worth, the Rama notes that modern wines are not as alcoholic as ancient wines and don’t require dilution.)

We land in a fairly intuitive place: If there’s a significant problem with the wine — it is potentially unhealthy or simply smells or tastes terrible — you shouldn’t use it for Shabbat Kiddush. Otherwise, l’chaim! 

Read all of Bava Batra 97 on Sefaria.

This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on September 30, 2024. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.