525. A Woman's Obligation in Kiddush

77:4 Women are obligated in Kiddush, so if a man is saying it, they should be sure to pay attention to it and to respond Amen. (She fulfills her obligation even if she neglects to respond Amen – OC 213:2.) Baruch Hu u’baruch shmo, however, should not be said. (After the fact, if one said it, Kiddush still works – Mishnah Brurah 124:21) A minor cannot fulfill the obligation of Kiddush for a woman, so she should make Kiddush for herself; this is true even if the boy is already 13 years old but is not known to have produced the physical signs of maturity. If the woman does not know how to say Kiddush, she should recite it after the minor word for word. Even when a woman hears Kiddush from her husband or another man, it is preferable that she also say the Kiddush word for word. (When saying Kiddush along with a minor, a woman should have her own wine and/or bread in front of her Mishnah Brurah 271:3.)

77:5 Kiddush should not be made over wine that has turned sour or over wine that has a bad smell, even if it has not soured. Even it the smell and taste are still good enough to recite the bracha of hagafen over it and it smells a little because it was in a dirty barrel, nevertheless it may not be used for Kiddush. (Shaar HaTziyon 272:3 says the matter requires further study to determine whether or not such wine might be used for Kiddush.) If a bottle of wine has been left open for several hours, it should not be used for Kiddush. This is based on the rationale stated in the Book of Malachi (1:8), which asks if something would be considered good enough to give to a high-ranking human official. (Bi’ur Halacha 272:1 s.v. ein makadshin feels that this wine may be used for Kiddush if no other wine is available.) If wine has white dregs, it should be strained; if straining it is not possible, it may be used for Kiddush. If the wine has white foam on it, it may not be used for Kiddush because we assume its taste has also turned.