Kiddush Friday night and Saturday morning TB Pesakhim 106

 Everybody who regularly observes Shabbat, makes kiddush Friday night Saturday morning over a cup of wine. Surprisingly no where in the Torah or the Bible, is this mitzvah (custom) mentioned. Today’s daf TB Pesakhim tells us the source of this mitzvah.

“The Gemara answers that this is what the tanna is saying: ‘Remember the day of Shabbat to sanctify it’ is a mitzva to remember it over wine when it begins. I have only derived the obligation to recite kiddush at night; from where do I derive that one must also recite kiddush during the day? The verse states: ‘Remember the day of Shabbat.' The emphasis of the word day indicates that one must recite kiddush again during the day.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The fourth commandment carved into the two tablets that Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai commands us to remember Shabbat and to sanctify it. Tosefot lists two verses that link remembering to wine to demonstrate we remember it over wine. The are: “ זִכְר֖וֹ כְּיֵ֥ין לְבָנֽוֹן:-His scent (literally his remembrance) shall be like the wine of Lebanon” and “נַזְכִּ֤ירָה דֹדֶ֙יךָ֙ מִיַּ֔יִן-Savoring (literally remembering) it more than wine” (Song of Songs 1:1). The Tosefot concludes that women and children are also commanded to sanctify Shabbat with kiddush from the Torah. However, making kiddiush over wine is only a rabbinic institution to enhance and make the ritual more significant.

The only requirement of the Saturday morning kiddush is saying the blessing over a cup of wine. “The Gemara asks: During the day, when one does not recite the same kiddush as at night, what blessing does one recite? Rav Yehuda said: Before the meal, one brings a cup of wine and simply recites the usual blessing over wine: Who creates the fruit of the vine. ” (Sefaria.org translation) Whether ironically or trying to enhance the status of this solitary blessing, the Talmud describes this kiddush as the great kiddush (קידוש רבה). Apparently not everybody knew this terminology is the following story will demonstrate.

“Rav Ashi happened to come to the city of Mekhoza. The Sages of Mekhoza said to him on Shabbat day: Will the Master recite for us the great kiddush? And they immediately brought him a cup of wine. Rav Ashi was unsure what they meant by the term great kiddush and wondered if the residents of Mekhoza included other matters in their kiddush. He thought: What is this great kiddush to which they refer? He said to himself: Since with regard to all the blessings that require a cup of wine, one first recites the blessing: Who creates the fruit of the vine, I will start with that blessing. He recited: Who creates the fruit of the vine, and lengthened it to see if they were expecting an additional blessing. He saw a particular elder bending over his cup and drinking, and he realized that this was the end of the great kiddush. He read the following verse about himself: 'The wise man, his eyes are in his head' (Ecclesiastes 2:14), as he was alert enough to discern the expectations of the local residents.” (Sefaria.org translation) You have to give Rav Ashi credit for thinking quickly on his feet.

Different communities create different customs by adding versus before the blessing over the wine, but nobody ever added a kiddush like blessing after the blessing over the line. Bottom line, one only needs to say the blessing over wine to fulfill his/her obligation Saturday morning.