Rav Moshe Feinstein rules that you may make day-time kiddush on any alcoholic drink you would serve a guest. This leniency is because daytime kiddush is only of rabbinic origin, while night-time kiddush is of biblical origin.
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
It can be called the Great “Schnapps vs. Wine” Wars.
Well, my father, and his father, had this minhag from Europe!”
“Yes, but the Mishna Brurah, holds that -”
“I don’t care what the Mishna Brurah says – that was written for those people without a family minhag!”
These arguments have been heard in shuls since this author was a child and probably long before that too.
It is Shabbos morning. You desperately need to hear Kiddush in order to eat or drink something or you will nearly pass out. Someone offers to make Kiddush for you and does so – on a small one ounce Schnapps glass of whiskey. What is the halacha?
THE KIDDUSH OBLIGATIONS
In this week’s Parasha, we lein the Aseres haDibros – the Ten Commandments. In commandment number four we read, “Remember the Shabbos day to keep it holy.” From here, the Rabbis derived that there is a Torah obligation to sanctify Shabbos with Kiddush. The Kiddush on Shabbos day (as opposed to the Friday night Kiddush) is a Rabbinic obligation. On both Kiddush obligations, the Rabbis obligated its recitation upon wine (Psachim 106a) – when available. On the Friday evening Kiddush, however, if wine is not available – it may be recited upon challah or bread.
