How Many Cups Of Wine On Pesach? Four Or Five

Daf Hashavua Pesachim 118a

The Rif , Rambam, etc. hold , you are supposed  to drink 5 cups of wine at the Seder.

Just over 100 years ago there was a *Rov who claimed to have acquired a manuscript, found  in the *Royal Library in Metz. 

The manuscript was from the Maharal’s son in law, R. Eliya Katz,  on the Hagadah Shel Pesach.

The manuscript contained two Pirushim, named, “Divrei Negidim and Leshon Limudim” .  

Both Pirushim were (supposedly) written by R.E. Katz quoting the Maharal and his Minhagim.

Up until then, there was only a single Pirush from the Maharal called Gevuras Hashem.(original)

The Rov printed the new *Maharal Hagadah with all three Pirushim.

The truth is, the Rov invented the two Pirushim and claimed it to be authentic Toireh from the Maharal (written by R.S.K.). There are many proofs that it is a fraud.

In the Hagadah he writes, “the Maharal said, people should adopt the Minhag of having a fifth cup at the Seder and say ,Hineni Muchan Umezuman etc. and the Mahral personally,did so as well.”

The truth,

a)      The Maharal, most likely didn’t say “Hineni Muchan Umezuman” for any Mitzvah.

b)      The Maharal writes befeirush that our Minhag is to have only four cups.

  

    * There never was a Royal Library in Metz

                       *Today,  all Maharal Hagados  have the 3 Pirushim 

          

אם בקשת לחניק היתלה באילן גדול

Daf Hashavua Pesachim 102a

                                                 

The Yavetz wrote a Sefer called Mitpachas Seforim. 

The Sefer  contains 280 proofs that the Zohar was not written by R.Shimon B. Yochai.

The Yavetz claims that the Zohar was written by R. Moshe d’Leon.  R.M. d’Leon  was the one who claimed to have found the manuscript of the Zohar written by R.Shimon B.Y.

The Yavetz defends R.M. d’Leon for making such (untrue) claims.

He relied on the Gemoro that says “If you want your words to be accepted,then you should claim a great person said it" 

(אם בקשת לחניק היתלה באילן גדול  )

For this reason R. Moshe d’Leon. claimed the Zohar was from R.S.B.Y.

The Chasam Sofer (Shu”t  6 – 59 ) agrees with the Yavetz that the Zohar was

not written by R.Shimon B. Y.  He also writes he has a problem understanding the Gemoro

 that allows forging a Gadols name, so that people should accept your Toireh,when we

have a Toras Emes.

name Brurya's husband

Daf Hashavua

Pesachim 62b

The Hebrew Artscroll Gemoro misquotes from the Sefer Beniyahu*1 “ Brurya the wife of R. Mier Ba’al

Haness”.

The actual loshon of the Beniyahu is, “ Brurya the wife of R. Mier, the wife of the great Chover,

Ba’al Haness”.

It might sound insignificant, but there is an important  difference.

According to Artscroll’s incorrect quote. R. Mier the husband of Brurya is called R.Mier Ba’al Haness. (similar to R.Y.M. Kagen (Pupko)*2 is known today as the Chofetz Chaim etc.)

According to the original Beniyahu, Brurya the wife of R. Mier who was a great Talmid Chochom and a Ba’al Haness.  

Ba’al Haness is not part of his name, but a description

of his greatness .

I wrote in the past that the Tanna R. Mier and R. Mier Ba’al Haness were two different  people. Artscroll is not aware of it. The Ben Ish Chai could have been aware

of it.

*1Known as the Ben Ish Chai

*2 The Chofetz Chaim’s original family name was Pupko

It was changed to Kagen to avoid the Russian draft.

The Bain Hashmoshes Question -Pesachim 54b

Daf Hashavua Pesachim 54b

Bein Hashmoshes , we consider night, Lechumra. (Erev  Shabbos,Tisha B’av etc.)

Why don’t we say every Bein Hashemoshos has a Chazaka that it is day ? 

Whenever we don’t know (safek) when a change happened, Chazaka tells us to assume,it happened at the latest possible time.

Why don’t we consider Bein Hashmoshes Vadai (sure) day, the original status ?  

Answer:

The   ( שמעתא ג' פרק ט'-י' ) *שב שמעתתאsays  חזקה העשויה להשתנות אינה חזקה a

Chazaka that will definitely  change is not considred a Chazaka.

A cow that was found to be Treifoh, Chazaka makes us assume that it happened the

latest possible time. All the milk from before this period is considered kosher .We have a Chazaka

because not  every animal becomes Treifoh. However Every Bein Hashmoshes  will eventually

become night, therefore we have no Chazaka.

*Quotes the Maharit

It is almost impossible to fulfill this obligation

Parshas Hashavua/ Daf Hashavua (Pesachim 13a)

והייתם נקיים מה' ומישראל

The Chasam Sofer (Shut 6 : 59) writes. "There are two obligations 

1) To come clean from Hashem

2) from Bnei Yisroel. 

It is much easier to fulfill the first obligation than the second one. The punishment for the second

obligation is also much greater. (Chillul Hashem).

You can have a person doing something which is Halachicly  correct, but isn't careful  and some

"שותי שכר" (beer drinkers) mistakenly accuse him of wrongdoing, such a person has not  fulfilled his

obligation of והייתם נקיים .

It is almost impossible to fulfill this obligation. It is likely Shlomo Hamelech had this in mind when he

wrote this אין צדיק בארץ

We find in this weeks Parsha the Bnei Gad etc. followed Moishe Rabbeinu's advice and fought along

with the other Shevatim for 14 years. They were punished  to be sent to Galus before the rest of Klall

Yisroel, because* they haven't fulfilled 100% the obligation of והייתם נקיים ."

*see Midrash Rabbah (Matos) other reasons 

Shehecheyonu for Bedikas Chometz

Daf Hashavua (Pesachim 2a)

Why do we not say the Birchas Shehecheyonu for Bedikas Chometz?



1) Gaonim : It is a mitzvah that is not always done with Simcha. You might find A nice piece of Chametz and be required to destroy (burn) it.

2) Ba’al Haitur: There is no set time to do the Bedika. If someone leaves his house
In middle of the year and plans to return on Pesach , he is required to do Bedikas Chametz in middle of the year.

3 Meiri : The Mitzva is linked to the Lo Ta’aseh of not having Chametz. On a L.T. no Shehecheyanu
Is said.

4) Rosh : The Shehecheyanu at Kiddush, includes all Mitzvos of Pesach.

ps. Thanks to my nephew R. Ari Dick N.Y. who informed me The Meiri's reason