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The reason is to exempt it from Value Added Tax.
See the regulation at this www.gov.uk site.
The important bit says:
4.7 Food and drink for religious and sacramental use
The existence of religious laws requiring certain foods to be prepared
in particular ways (for example, kosher or halal) doesn’t affect the
liability of the final product, ...
12
Nitei Gavriel Nesuin 2 - 80:21:38 says that the source for saying L'Chaim on wine is Sefer Hapardes L'Rashi, Ravia Brachos 120, Tanya Rabsi 24, Bach Orach Chaim 174. The reason is that since wine brought a curse on the world when Noach drank and cursed Canaan therefore we say L'Chaim when we drink it. He also mentions in the name of the Baal Shem Tov not to ...
12
In regards to your "first" question, the reason that we do not say hagafen before they are processed should really be asked the other way around, which is why do we make hagafen after it is processed, as opposed to any other fruit which does not get a more specialized blessing? The answer is given in Berachos 35b that since wine is סעיד ומשמח, typically ...
12
עוד מנהג ליהודים מארץ ישמעאל
בערב שבת הולכים כלם לבית המרחץ
ובשובם מביאות נשותיהם לפניהם יין ומרבים בשתיה ואחר מביאות התבשיל שהכינו לסעודת הערב אוכלים מבעוד יום עד שתחשך
ואחר באים כולם לבית הכנסת במלבושיהם נקיים ומגוהצים ומתחילים בשירות ותשבחות ומאריכים בתפילת ערבית עד שתי שעות בלילה ובאים לבתיהם ומקדשין אוכלים כזית לחם ומברכים ברכת המזון ואין מתפללים ...
11
Rabbenu Avraham ben HaRambam writes:
If God would forbid everyone to drink wine and alcohol as he forbade non-kosher animals and fowl, not all would be able to comply...such a prohibition would also interfere with the benefit of wine and the occasional need to drink it. And if our Torah would say "Drink but don't become intoxicated," it would not work ...
10
Imrei Baruch says the following answers to your question.
A: Chizkuni - The brothers drank since at that moment there was no Gezaira (decree) yet for Stam Yainom (non-Jewish wine).
B: Medrosh Talpios: They drank out of "Aimas Hamalchus" (fear of the king)
C: He goes on to say that the brothers considered themselves as Bnai Noach and thus together with "...
9
A similar question applies to food cooked by a non-Jew who is converting to Judaism--can the convert eat the food or is it prohibited as bishul nokhri? R. Herschel Schachter apparently holds that the convert may eat the food he previously cooked as a non-Jew, for the following reason: There is a question whether the prohibition is based on fear of ...
9
Red is described as preferable, though white is always acceptable if necessary. (Or perhaps even if it's a type of wine you strongly prefer.) During times of the blood libels, white wine was actually recommended for the seder as no one could claim you were hiding blood in your glass.
For regular kiddush, the Gemara says you can use freshly-squeezed grapes. ...
8
A primary source would be the מדרש תנחומה in פרשת פקודי at סימן ב
העת שחוקרין העדים על העבירה שאדם עושה, יוצאין הסנהדרין וכל ישראל עמם לרחוב העיר, ומוציאין לשם לאיש שהוא מחוייב סקילה או אחד מארבע מיתות בית דין, ויוצאין שנים מהם או שלשה הגדולים מהם ודורשין לעדים. וכששבין מלחקור, אומר להם, סברי מרנן. והם אומרים, אם לחיים לחיים, ואם למיתה למיתה. אם הוא מחויב ...
8
I will offer a partial answer to the question. Many states have exceptions to the underage drinking law that for religious purposes it is allowed. Many states also have an exception when on private, non alcohol-selling premises, with parental consent. I got this information here: http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591.
Although ...
8
The Kof-K list of tevila instructions says that, according to the OU, Star-K and CRC, a corkscrew does not require tevilah because it does not touch the food. The Star-K confirms. And so does R Forst on behalf of OU.
Not clear why it would need to be kashered. The prohibition is on drinking non-kosher wine. If (1) the corkscrew is clean and (2) it was cold ...
8
See e.g. Maimonides Hilkhoth Rotzeach U'Shemirath Hanefesh 11:8
כל המשקין האסורין משום גילוי שנתגלו בין ביום בין בלילה אסורין ואפילו היה בצדן אדם ישן אין אימת ישן על הזוחלין. וכמה ישהו ויאסרו כדי שיצא הרחש מתחת אזן כלי וישתה ויחזור למקומו
When a liquid is forbidden if left uncovered, it is forbidden whether it was left uncovered during the day or during the ...
7
I heard the following:
Wine and frankincense were administered to a person condemned to the death penalty Sanhedrin 43a
This is an association between wine and death. So we say when we drink wine, L'chaim "to Life."
7
Wine becomes yayin nesech when it is open and then is handled by a non-Jew or by a Jew who violates Shabbat or participates in avoda zara. "Messianic Judaism" could certainly be considered a form of avoda zara as discussed in other places on this site. So if the person touches an open bottle of wine, that wine would become prohibited.
If the wine is ...
7
This one's fairly clear-cut.
The Talmud says it's prohibited to sell frankincense in small, retail amounts to pagans that they will use in their pagan worship. However you can sell it in bulk as wholesale, and what the retailer does with it is not your concern. I may not enable a non-Jew to worship idols, but I may enable the enabler. (That's indirect ...
7
This is debated by the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 64b). The Rambam rules that it is forbidden to drink the wine of a ger toshav, but it is permitted to derive benefit from it. This is the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch as well, regarding all non-idolatrous gentiles (Yoreh De'ah 124:6).
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Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayyim 269 rules that if one recites kiddush in a synagogue without a meal following it (where such is the custom) the adult making kiddush should not drink the wine but instead give it to a child to drink.
Mishnah Berurah 269:1 writes that if no child is available, the adult reciting kiddush should make sure to drink a revi'it so that ...
6
From the Baal Hatanya's Haggadah:
ויכוון, שהכוס הוא סוד המלכות, ושופך מהיין שבתוכו סוד האף והזעם
שבה על ידי כח הבינה לתוך כלי שבור סוד הקליפה שנקראת ארור
One should have in mind that the cup represents sod hamalchut (the secret of sovereignty), and the wine that is being poured into the broken vessel represents the secret of anger and indignation,...
6
I've been part of a group that did Hashgacha on a production of grape concentrate for the OU. The grapes are untouched by non-jewish hands from when the are loaded into the crusher until after the juice is boiled.
The run was specifically for Grape Juice Concentrate. The grapes were taken directly from the field to the crusher and were completely processed ...
6
To add to Shmuel Brin's answer:
R' Moshe Feinstein rules that a Jew married to a non-Jew is presumed to not observe Shabbos, and R' Moshe implies that such a person would have the presumptive status of a public Shabbos violator. Accordingly, R' Moshe rules that non-mevushal wine such a person touches is forbidden (Igros Moshe YD vol. 2, §132).
R' Yosef ...
6
The Rosh ,based on the two sevaras given in Avoda Zara for the issur, explains that the issur of yayin nesech is not solely an issue of avoda zara but additionally an issue of mingling with non-Jews (משום בנותיהן). If this is so, he asks, why would mevushal wine be any less likely to cause mingling between jews and non-jews?
He also asks even if one just ...
6
(By the way -- a sealed bottle of kosher wine can be handled by anyone, hence I am allowed to walk into any store in the planet and buy a sealed bottle of wine marked "OU kosher" [assuming they didn't counterfeit it, assuming the seal is intact, etc.] regardless of the faith of the shopkeeper. I'm assuming you mean wine that was handled by Muslims before/...
6
Rambam Hilchos De'os 5:3
וכל המשתכר, הרי זה חוטא ומגונה ומפסיד חכמתו; ואם משתכר בפני עמי הארץ, הרי זה חילל את השם.
Anyone who gets drunk, he is a sinner and is disgusting and loses his wisdom. And if he does so before commoners, he profanes G-d.
According to the Rambam, the mitzvah of simcha on Yom Tov does not encourage or even permit drunkenness (...
6
Update: The answer below deals with yayin nesech and does not speak about "Stam Yanom" because it did not apply at thet time.
Note that it says in 43:32 it says
וַיָּשִׂימוּ לוֹ לְבַדּוֹ וְלָהֶם לְבַדָּם וְלַמִּצְרִים הָאֹכְלִים אִתּוֹ לְבַדָּם כִּי לֹא יוּכְלוּן הַמִּצְרִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת הָעִבְרִים לֶחֶם כִּי תוֹעֵבָה הִוא לְמִצְרָיִם:
And they set ...
6
The relationships between Nezirut and wine are broadly treated in Gemara and Rishonim.
We will start with Samson, Samuel and touching problem of wine in sacrifices, and later wine of Kiddush and Havdala, for the end we will discuss about wine.
Samson was a special Nazir:
The mishna in Nazir (1, 2) defines what is nezirut Shimshon, he can never cut hairs, ...
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It's Shulchan Arukh OC 272:10
ברכת יין של קידוש פוטרת יין שבתוך הסעודה ואינו טעון ברכה לאחריו דברכת המזון פוטרתו בין שהוא על הכוס בין שאינו על הכוס.
The blessing on wine for Kiddush exempts wine during the meal [from needing a blessing before drinking] and the wine does not need a blessing afterwards for the blessings after bread exempt it, whether ...
5
Proper procedure? I don't think there is a preference. Hamotzi does not exempt wine ever (Shulchan Aruch OC 174:1) and if you drank wine before the bread it continues to exempt wine drunk after the bread (:4). Also, the after blessing on the bread exempts the wine, even if wine was only drunk before the bread, and certainly if it was drunk during the meal ...
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Rivivos Efraim Orach Chaim 2 - 137 attributes this Minhag to the Baal Kneses HaGedola 261 with the following two reasons. One is not to drink wine that the name of the Makos were mentioned on. Also since it is disgusting since he dipped his finger into it.
Sefer Mekorei Minhagim - 44 mentions this in the name of the Arizal.
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The question and the answers mostly deal with the spiritual aspects of wine. I am not disagreeing with them. But, it should also be remembered that although wine is a vegetarian product, it still must be prepared in accordance with the laws of kashrus. In other words, all equipment and any additives need to be in accordance with kashrus. The equipment ...
5
Grape Juice From Concentrate
Rabbi Dovid Cohen Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator of the cRc
November 2007
Over the years, there has been considerable debate regarding the bracha on grape juice produced from concentrate, and whether such juice is suitable for Kiddush and daled kosos. As many consumers use grape juice for exactly those purposes, it is ...
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