Required Amount of Matzah and Wine for the Seder

From Halachipedia

The four cups of wine

  1. The cup of wine must be filled with a Reviyat of wine and one must drink a full Reviyat or at least majority of a Reviyit. [1]
  2. According to Sephardim one should preferably have an entire Reviyit which is 2.86 oz (81 grams) , however if that's difficult one may just have majority of a Reviyit which is 1.44 oz (41 grams). [2]
  3. According to Ashkenazim one should preferably have an entire Reviyit which is 3 oz (85 grams), however if that's difficult one may just have majority of a Reviyit which is 1.51 oz (43 grams). [3]
  4. If the cup holds a lot of Reviyot, many people can drink from it, only as many people as there are Reviyot in the cup. [4]
  5. If a person is a diabetic and can’t have a lot of wine, the absolute minimum amount is 1.5 oz and a drop more and if one can’t have eat that much one doesn’t have to drink the wine. However, one should consult with one’s doctor who is Torah observant. [5]


Within how long must one drink the wine

  1. Lechatchila, one should drink the majority of the Reviyat Bevat Echat, at one time (without any interruption). [6]
  2. Bedieved, one must drink the cup within the time of a Kdei Achilat Pras to fulfill the obligation, otherwise one must repeat drinking the wine. [7]
  3. Thus, one shouldn't take a cup that has a thin spout because one won't be able drink the whole cup at once. [8]

Types of wine

  1. If one hates wine or if it gives him a headache (but not if it's going to make him sick in bed) he should try to have the wine to fulfill the mitzvah of the four cups of wine. [9]

Matzah

  1. What stays between one’s teeth isn’t counted towards the kezayit, however, that which is in one’s gums is counted towards the Kezayit. [10]
  2. There's many opinions about the size of Matzah needed for the Seder:
  • Chazon Ish holds that for matzah one should consider a Kezayit to be 50 cc. [11]
  • Rav Moshe Feinstein holds that for Matzah one should consider a Kezayit to be 43.5 cc which is the equivalent to 2/3 of a board of machine Matzah. [12]
  • Rav Chaim Noeh holds that for Matzah one should consider a Kezayit to be 27 cc. [13]
  1. Even though the widely accepted measurement of the Kezayit is according to Rav Chaim Noeh [14] for the mitzvah of eating Matzah one must be strict to hold a Kezayit of the Chazon Ish. [15]
  2. Someone who is sick and can’t eat so much Matzah can use the Kezayit evaluated according to a third of a KeBaytzah which according to Rav Chaim Noeh is 17.3. [16]

Sephardim

  1. According to Sephardim, for Motzei Matzah, one should have two Kezayitim which is 54 grams and in machine matzahs that's 1 and 2/3 boards in some brands and 1 and 4/5 in other brands. [17]

References

  1. ↑ S"A 472:9. See Rav Schachter at OU Pre-Pesach Webcast 5770 between minutes 93 and 94 says that people have the misconception that people have to drink a sip of wine, however, one needs to have a Reviyit or at least a majority of a Reviyit.
  2. ↑ Chazon Ovadyah (pg 16)
  3. ↑ Halachos of Pesach (Rabbi Shimon Eider, Chapter 20, Sec D 5, pg 228-230) writes that since the four cups are Derabbanan one may have the smaller measurement which is measuring by eggs and not by thumbs and according to his calculation a Reviyit should be 3 oz and if one is unable to have a Reviyit one fulfills one's obligation with a majority of a Reviyit. The Laws of Pesach by Rabbi Blumenkrantz (5771 pg 111) writes that since the four cups are Derabbanan one may use a cup that holds 2.9 oz. See also Weekly Halacha (by Rabbi Neustadt, http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5760/tazria.html) who writes that one may rely on the view of Rav Chaim Noeh who holds that 3 oz is sufficient being that the cups of wine are Derabbanan. See also Rav Yisrael Belsky on OU Pre-Pesach Webcast 5771 between minutes 37 and 38 who says that it's acceptable to consider a Reviyit 4.3 oz and it’s preferable to consider it around 5.8. See also Halachos of Pesach (pg 229) who writes that the Kiddish cup of Rav Yisrael Salanter was 4.1 oz at it's full capacity and the cup of the Chafetz Chaim was 5 oz.
  4. ↑ The Orchot Chaim and Kolbo hold that as many people as there are Reviyot can drink from the cup and fulfill their obligation. However, Ramban holds that if the cup holds many Reviyot, one person needs to drink majority of the cup and taken split it up with others. S"A 472:9 rules like the Orchot Chaim and Kolbo.
  5. ↑ Rav Yisrael Belsky on OU Pre-Pesach Webcast 5771 between minutes 51 and 52:30
  6. ↑ Magan Avraham 472:11, Mishna Brurah 472:34
  7. ↑ Rama 472:9 in name of the Rokach quoted by the Bet Yosef writes that one shouldn't drink with a large pause. Magan Avraham 472:11 explains that the long pause is a Kdei Achilat Pras. Mishna Brurah 472:34 rules like the Magan Avraham and adds that even though the Ashkenazi practice is not to repeat to drink the third and forth cup if one forgot to lean because it may look like one is adding a cup to the established cups, even so here one should repeat because one has not fulfilled his obligation according to anyone.
  8. ↑ Rama 429:15
  9. ↑ S"A 472:10 says that even if one hates wine or it is harmful to his health one should push himself to have the wine to fulfill the mitzvah. Mishna Brurah 472:35 explains that it gives one a headache but not that it makes one sick in bed.
  10. ↑ Piskei Teshuvot 486:1, Natai Gavriel (vol 2, 91:7)
  11. ↑ Piskei Teshuvot 486:1
  12. ↑ Halachos of Kezayis (Rabbi Bodner pg 91), Rav Yisrael Belsky on [OU Pre-Pesach Webcast 5771] between minutes 30:30 and 37 endorsed this opinion but added that if one is able it's preferable to have the larger amount similar to the Chazon Ish's kezayit.
  13. ↑ Midot VeShiurei Torah pg 184, Piskei Teshuvot 486:1
  14. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 6, Birur 1, pg 221) in name of Rav Elyashiv and Rav Shlomo Zalman
  15. ↑ Halichot Shlomo 9:8
  16. ↑ Mishna Brurah 486:1, Halichot Shlomo (pg 214 pg 55)
  17. ↑ Chazon Ovadyah pg 65
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