Yom Tov Day - Lunch Through Conclusion

Richard B. Aiken

Daytime Kiddush

To fulfill the two requirements for Jewish festival daytime kiddush:

Say, or hear, at least #b and #c of these Jewish festival daytime kiddush blessings/segments:

a) Eileh mo'adei Adonai mikra'ei kodesh asher tikri'u otam b'mo'adam.

NOTE: It is not a universal custom to say the above sentence.

b) Va'yidaber Moshe eht mo'adei Adonai el bnei yisrael.

NOTE: It IS a universal custom to say the above sentence. AND

c) Borei pri ha'gafen (if on wine or grape juice), OR

She'hakol nihiyeh bi'dvaro (if on other beverage/chamar medina).

NOTE: For Jewish festival (or Saturday) lunch and havdala, you may use any beverage (chamar medina) commonly drunk for social purposes (not just for thirst) in the country in which you are saying kiddush (say the blessing she'hakol instead of borei pri ha'gafen where appropriate).

NOTE: There is never any requirement on an individual to drink kiddush wine (except at the Passover seder), but the kiddush wine must be drunk by one or more persons.

Establish a halachic “meal” (kovei'a se'uda).

You must establish the halachic meal required for kiddush shortly after hearing Jewish festival morning kiddush.

NOTE: If you make Jewish festival morning kiddush on any beverage except wine or grape juice, you must also eat mezonot or bread to establish the kiddush meal. If you do not want to eat bread or mezonot, only drinking 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of wine or grape juice within 30 seconds will fulfill all of the requirements for kiddush. If you have not fulfilled the requirements for kiddush, you may not eat other foods, such as fruit or fish at a kiddush.

How To Fulfill Eating Jewish Festival Second Meal

You must eat a second meal on Jewish festival (or Shabbat) day with 1.9 fl. oz., or 56 ml, of bread--even if you already said ha'motzi and ate bread at kiddush.

NOTE: There is no essential time limit for eating the second meal, but it must be before you get distracted (hesech da'at). Otherwise, you must hear kiddush again and drink wine (or grape juice) or eat bread/mezonot before eating anything.

Jewish Festivals: When They End

Jewish festivals (and Shabbat) end at “dark”: when three medium-sized stars are visible overhead.

NOTE: When stars appear in the west (these are “large stars”), medium-sized stars should be visible overhead and the Jewish festival (or Shabbat) will be over.

Ending Yom Tov Before Havdala

Say baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol (without saying God's name!) if:

It is already “dark” (you can see three medium-size stars--tzeit ha'kochavim), and

You want to end the Jewish festival (and Shabbat) before saying ma'ariv's amida or havdala.

NOTE: Saying this formula allows you to do melacha, but you may not eat or drink until you have said or heard havdala.

NOTE: Men must still say the amida and men and women must say or hear havdala later even if they said baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol.

Ending Yom Tov Before Havdala: Baruch HaMavdil and Birkat HaMazon

Saying Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol after dark at the end of a Jewish festival or of Rosh Hashana does not affect the additions you will then say in birkat ha'mazon.

SITUATION: On a Jewish festival afternoon, you washed your hands, said ha'motzi, and started eating. It is now dark and the end of the Jewish festival.

WHAT TO DO: You may say Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol and do melacha, and then

Continue to eat your meal, or

Say birkat ha'mazon INCLUDING ya'aleh v'yavo and ha'rachaman hu yanchileinu yom she'kulo tov.

Ending Before Havdala: Ata Chonantanu

As on Shabbat, if you forgot to say ata chonantanu after Jewish festivals, you do not need to repeat the amida. But, if you then ate food before saying havdala, you must repeat the amida including ata chonantanu.

Yom Tov Day - Lunch Through Conclusion

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