[Avodah] Havdalah On Wine Motza'ei Shabbos Chazon

[Zev Sero]

On 7/08/2011 11:01 AM, Micha Berger wrote:
> When one bentches al hakos, does the person who drinks the wine have to
> be one of those bentching with the zimun?

Yes.  "Echad min hamesubim", not a bystander.

> I wonder: if the kos is part of havdalah, why do we smell the besamim and
> use the neir before continuing havdalah, but wait between the berakhah
> and drinking the wine?

Because one can't drink before havdalah, so the havdalah is a necessary
preparation and not a hefsek.


On 8/08/2011 10:58 AM, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
> Rav Elyashiv was quoted as saying that if there is no boy to drink
> the wine of Havdala during the nine days, do not give it to a girl.

> R' Zev Sero explained:
>> Presumably because it's a safek whether women are obligated in
>> havdalah, which is why a woman can't be motzi a man.  If women are
>> exempt, then girls are not b'not chinuch, and if she drinks it
>> then nobody is yotzei, even if one holds that a katan ben chinuch
>> is enough a part of the mitzvah to be motzi people by drinking it.

> I suspect this is in error.
> Let's back up a minute, and ask why anyone needs to drink the wine at all?
> The answer has nothing to do with Havdala, but is because of the Hagafen.

Not true.  For the bracha one need only take a sip; but for kiddush or
havdalah the person who drinks must drink a cheekful (rov revi'is).
Drinking the kos is an inherent part of the mitzvah.  The mavdil himself
need not drink it, but someone has to, and that someone has to be part of
the mitzvah.

-- 
Zev Sero
zev at sero.name