What is Kiddush?

Answer 1

The below is very full and complete - however in my experience - most reform Jews only do the short portion which translates to: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

The text of the Friday night kiddush begins with a passage from genesis, testifying to God's creation of the world. Most people stand during the recital of these verses, since one of the reasons for keeping Shabbat is to affirm that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

• [And it was evening and it was morning], the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were completed. And God finished by the seventh day His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His work which God created to function.

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, has desired us, and has given us, in love and good will, His holy Shabbat as a heritage, in remembrance of the work of Creation; the first of the holy festivals, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us from among all the nations, and with love and good will given us Your holy Shabbat as a heritage. Blessed are You Lord, who sanctifies the Shabbat. (Amen)

Shabbat morning kiddush

Since the Shabbat morning kiddush is Rabbinically rather than Biblically mandated, it has a lesser status than the Friday-night kiddush. In order to elevate its importance, it is referred to as "Kiddusha Rabba" -קידושא רבא- "The Great Kiddush." This kiddush, too, is preceded by Biblical verses, although not all the verses are said by all families.

• And the Children of Israel shall observe the Shabbat, establishing the Shabbat throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for all time, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested

• Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God; you shall not do any work-you, your son or your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant, or your cattle,or the stranger within your gates. For [in] six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy 20:8-11).

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

Amen is said by the congregation after the Kiddush or any other blessing is read. It means "I agree" and is usually only said by those who hadn't read the blessing.

Holiday night kiddush

This version of kiddush is said on the festival nights of passover

The sections in brackets are added when the holiday coincides with Shabbat (Friday night).

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations, and elevated us above all tongues,and sanctified us with His commandments. And You gave us, Lord our God, with love, [Shabbats for rest and] festivals for happiness, holidays and times for joy, this day [of Shabbat and this day of]

• (on Passover): the Festival of Matzos, the time of our freedom

• (on Shavuot): the Festival of Weeks, the time of the giving of our Torah

• (on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah): the eighth day, the Festival of Assembly, the time of our happiness

• [with love], a holy convocation, a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. Because You chose us, and sanctified us from all the nations, [and Shabbat] and Your holy festivals [in love and in favor] in happiness and in joy You have given us as a heritage.Blessed are You, God, Who sanctifies [the Shabbat] and Israel and the holiday seasons. (Amen)

On Sukkot, the following blessing is added immediately after kiddush when the meal takes place in a kosher sukkah:

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah. (Amen)

On all the holidays, this blessing is recited after the nighttime kiddush (except on the last two nights of Passover,when it is omitted):

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.(Amen)

Holiday morning kiddush

When the festival coincides with Shabbat, first the Biblical verses (above, Shabbat morning kiddush) are recited,followed by two additional verses and the blessing over wine. When the holiday falls on a weekday, the morning kiddush begins with the two verses:

• These are the festivals of God, holy convocations, that you should announce at their appointed times

• And Moses declared the festivals of the Lord to the Children of Israel

• Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

Kiddush reception

By extension, the term "kiddush" may also refer to a reception of wine, cake, soft drinks, and buffet items such as herring, kugel, following Shabbat morning services or other happy occasion. In some synagogues the celebrant is honored with reciting the Shabbat morning kiddush on behalf of all the attendees.

• Jews have the practice of mixing some water into the wine used for the evening Kiddush as a memorial of the original "mixing of the wine" that was required since wine was, at one time, too strong (and too syrupy) to be drunk without dilution.
• Some Jews also have the custom to make Kiddusha Rabba(i.e. in the morning) on liquor, however, the blessing she-hakol nihyeh bid'varo is said instead of borei p'ri ha-gafen. Note, however, that the mishnah berurah" and other codes are against using liquor for Kiddush under most circumstances and when they do allow it, it is only on Hamar Medina, which is generally interpreted as an important drink one would serve to a guest. Water, tea and coffee are not considered Hamar Medina. Most people consider non-wine Alcoholic Beverages to be Hamar Medina, but there is some disagreement as to the status of soft drink and some other non-alcoholic beverages. There is also a question as to whether kiddush requires a revi'it when recited over hard liqour where the typical serving is far less than a revi'it.

Answer 2

Kiddush (or Kiddish) is a blessing recited over a cup of wine before the evening and morning meal on the Jewish Sabbath and major festivals.

Kiddush acknowledges the sanctity of the day. It is usually performed by the head of the household, but it may involve all family members. After the recitation, each person sips wine from the cup, or the one who recited may pour from his cup into individual cups for each participant.

Traditionally, after Kiddush has been recited, all members perform a ritual washing of hands (Called Netilat Yadayim), after which the blessing is made over the bread.

Answer 3

Kiddushin (קידושין) means "sanctifications" and usually refers to an Orthodox Jewish wedding.

Kiddushin could also refer to the last tractate of the third order of the Mishnah Nashim.

Answer 4

The Kiddush cup is used for drinking wine after the Kiddush blessings are said. The Kiddush blessings are sung at the beginning of the Sabbath meal.

Answer 5

sanctification

consecration

make holy

hallow

Answer 6

Kiddush (קידוש) = "sanctification" or "hallowing"

Answer 7

wine

Answer 8

The word just means sanctification, but in common usage within the Jewish community, it is frequently used to refer to the first of the two actions required to create a marriage. The kiddushin typically involves the groom giving the bride a plain gold ring, without a stone, after appropriate blessings are said. This creates a betrothal, although in modern Jewish practice, the kiddushin is done as part of the wedding ceremony and not in advance. The second step in the wedding is called chuppah (the ch as in bach or loch), and involves the bride and groom being alone together for long enough that they could have consumated the marriage. The kiddushin must be in the presence of trustworthy witnesses, and once completed, a religious divorce is required to dissolve the marriage.