[Avodah] Who drinks the Four Cups?

[Jonathan Baker]

A long piece on the history of drinking Four Cups at the seder in Ashkenaz
and Sefardic lands.

http://thanbook.blogspot.com/2009/04/who-drinks-four-cups.html

In short: the Bavli and Yerushalmi have different views as to whether only
the leader drinks, or everybody drinks, based on different baraitot and 
memras present in one or the other Talmud. This is reflected in the Ashkenazi
Rishonim who say that lechatchilah, one may drink for all, but it's better
if all drink, vs. the Rambam, who states without qualification that all drink. 

R' Chaim Brisker tries to reconcile them by positing a distinction
between Kos Shel Bracha (where one drinks for all) and the din of 4 Cups
(where everybody drinks).  But it's not necessary if one takes into account
the differences between the Bavli and Yerushalmi, and the idea that the 
Yerushalmi/Eretz Yisrael tradition is the direct ancestor of Minhag Ashkenaz,
which may not have been au courant in R' Chaim's day.

Pictures in illustrated haggadot support this divergence of custom between
Spain and Franco-Germany, at least through the 16th century.  After that,
the publication of the Shulchan Aruch with the Rema not objecting, that 
all drink, makes the custom more uniform (SA OH 472:14).

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