[Avodah] Hot Cheese for Shabbat Lunch

[Jonathan Baker]

As for those posters (and poskim) who maintain that "ein simcha ela bebasar",
the Gemara seems to disagree.  Thanks to Hebrew Wikipedia, on "ein simcha
ela b'basar vayayin", the source is in Pesachim 109a:

  as it says, "Vesamachta bechageicha", with what do we rejoice?  Wine.
  Rebbi Yehuda says, men with what is fitting for them, women with what is
  fitting for them.  Men with what is fitting for them, i.e. wine, and
  women with what?  Rav Yosef repeats [a braisa]: In Bavel - with colored
  clothes, in EY - with linen clothes.  A Braisa [Tanya]: Rebbi Yehuda
  ben Beteira says: When the Holy Temple is standing, one rejoices only
  with meat, as it says "you shall slaughter shelamim and eat there and
  rejoice before Hashem your God," and now that the Temple is not standing,
  one rejoices only with wine, as it says "Wine causes the heart of man to
  rejoice".

The Chayei Adam brings down the whole thing, "ein simcha ela bebasar 
veyayin."

But if the Gemara says that the whole inyan of simcha today is Wine, how
is it that so many people today are mekadesh on grape juice?  How can they
fulfill the inyan of simcha with grape juice?  Even leaving aside the big
postwar chiddush that it works for Hagafen - it surely isn't wine for simchas
yom tov purposes.  Absent, of course, sh'as had'chak and health reasons.

--
        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com