The medieval hymn Adon Olam describes God, the "Lord of the Universe," as "my cup, my portion when I cry." The essential point of the Sabbath is to acknowledge God as the guiding force behind creation and history. We receive our "cup" from Him. Hence the appropriateness of celebrating the Sabbath by lifting and receiving our cup, filled with beautiful wine. Per Jewish custom, there is a whole choreography to this.
We hope our portion from God will be as good, as gently intoxicating, as good wine. What an insult, really a blasphemy, to use sickly sweet grape juice or Manischewitz as some Jews do! Maimonides rules, in fact, that Kiddush may not be said over sugared or cooked -- i.e., grossly inferior -- wine (Hilchot Shabbat 29:14).
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Hi Alan. Looks like Mark mentioned DK's post, not yours.
What a shame that there has to be judgment infused in this discussion. I don't drink wine, and have never liked the taste of anything but sweet wine. In my cup, I consider the place of Hashem in sweetening the aspects of life I want to include day to day, but that to me are difficult or otherwise unappealing. Thinking of my relationship with G-d, with His plans and placement of these tasks and opportunities in my life, makes these things easier and more fulfilling. And that's just what the sweet wine does in my Kiddush cup.
When the European Jews came to this country they arrived on the East Coast which did not grow the fine European grapes. Concord was the main grape and the only way it could be made into palatable wine was to sweeten it.
Nowadays with so many good Kosher wines there is no reason to drink Manischewitz or Mogen David or other travesties, but it has become a tradition of its own. This is too bad, but it is better to offer good Kosher wine than to rant about other people serving the inferior ones.
Well "travesty" sure beats out "blasphemy", no? (smirk)
I thought blasphemy referred to heretical statements, not breaches of halacha. Anyway, as Rabbi Gil Student explains briefly here, most people do not hold by the prohibition you mention:
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/hirhurim/1685609098584555532/#626202
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