[Avodah] Why remove drops from Cup; Ought the cup be topped up?

[Zvi Lampel]

>
>   R. David Feinstein, The Kol Dodi Haggadah (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah
>     Publications in conjunction with Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, 1990),
>     p. 106. There it is stated that the wine is removed "in consideration
>     for the losses caused by the plagues." This appears in the Hebrew
>     original (New York: Tiferet, 1970), p. 21, as the somewhat more
>     ambiguous "nohagim sheshofekhim le'ibud hamakkos."
>
> In the past, we asked RZL, the translator, who is a member. But when he
> checked with RDF, RDF himself couldn't recall which was intended. (The
> footnote's "the somewhat more ambiguous" is well-founded.)
>

Not quite ''couldn't recall which was intended.'' Here's what I wrote in
2018:
From: *H Lampel* <zvilampel at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Avodah] Translation of Makkos / Binfol oyivcha al tismach

...I did have occasion to directly ask Rav Dovid Feinstein what he meant in
the Kol Dodi Hagadah by ''shofchim l'eebud ha-makos and we don't drink
them.'' Did he mean we pour out the wine out of sympathy for the Egyptians'
suffering the makkos (as I had translated it), or did he mean that after
taking the drops of wine out of the cups, we throw them (the drops of wine
representing the makkos) out as waste, rather than drinking them (as R. Zev
Sero insisted). And how that relates to the issue of ''al tismach.''

Sorry, but he did not commit to either way, comfortable with both
approaches towards rejoicing over the downfall of Israel's enemies.

Nevertheless, by my request, the next printing of the Kol Dodi Haggadah
should have the translation changed to R. Zev's.


Zvi Lampel
To be a bit clearer, after considering the arguments, and then consulting a
talmid of Rav Feinstein,  I am convinced Reb Dovid, ztvk''l, meant that
after taking the drops of wine out of the cups, we throw them (the drops of
wine representing the makkos) out as waste, rather than drinking them (as
R. Zev Sero insisted). And I am also convinced that nevertheless, l'fi
darko hakadosh, to keep me from feeling bad, and being aware that there are
authorities on both sides of the ''binfol oyivcha'' issue, he did not want
to tell me my original translation was erroneous, nor take sides on the
hashkafa issue.

Zvi Lampel


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