First Cup of Wine

The following sentence is a Kabbalistic "kavanah" or intention, aimed at encouraging us to sanctify and drink our wine with the holy intention of connecting transcendence and immanence, divine spirit far above with divine spirit deep within.

zWMVuI9PHtpdMfHJmPrvn_2QL4vaA6SG0BvEt07nkT9-bPrZe1uS47yrbzB14Ek18JPybCdBstbTzTcXd_2w2He16yCloazINEYWBTqUGsSY9hjDMEOpA7lj0fCagH-bxhrfzSJz

Tonight we drink four cups of wine.  Why four?  Some say the cups represent our matriarchs - Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah - whose virture caused God to liberate us from slavery.  Another interpretation is that the cups represent the Four Worlds: physicality, emotions, thought, and essence.  Still a third interpretation is that the cups represent the four promises of liberation God makes in the Torah: I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you to be my people (Exodus 6:6-7).  The four promises, in turn, have been interpreted as four stages on the path of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alternatives, and accepting responsibility to act.

The first cup of wine reminds us of God's first declaration: "I will bring you out from the oppression..."

בָּרוּך אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָ ם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine. [After the blessing, drink a sip or the whole glass, however you prefer, and then refill.

Velveteen Rabbi


haggadah Section: Kadesh