Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 271:27-31

Sugya Map

• Issue: The requirement to taste the wine before Kiddush (Arukh HaShulchan 271:27-31).
• Primary Sources: Pesachim 101a; Shulchan Aruch, OC 271:11; Arukh HaShulchan ad loc.
• Nafka Mina: Whether the shiur of "tasting" constitutes a hefsek (interruption) or a mitzvah requirement to ensure the wine is yayin ra’ui (fit for the cup).

Text Snapshot

• Arukh HaShulchan 271:27: "וצריך לטעום מעט מן הכוס... ואין בזה משום הפסק."
• Nuance: The Arukh HaShulchan posits the tasting not merely as a subjective preference but as a technical verification of the kos’s quality (yayin ha-ra’ui). The term “ve-ein ba-zeh mishum hefsek” implies a pre-emptive defense against the claim that consuming liquid between the beracha and the mitzvah constitutes a hefsek.

Readings

• Rambam (Hilchot Shabbat 29:9): Focuses on the objective quality of the wine; if it is spoiled, it is pasul. The Arukh HaShulchan pivots this into a mandate to verify via tasting.
• Mishnah Berurah (271:47): Notes that if one does not drink, the Kiddush remains valid, contradicting the Arukh HaShulchan’s framing of the tasting as a near-integral step.

Friction

• Kushya: If the beracha of Borei Peri HaGafen is intended for the mitzvah of Kiddush, how can tasting the wine—which is not the mitzvah itself—not be a hefsek?
• Terutz: The Arukh HaShulchan understands the tasting as part of the kiddush ritual—a hechsher mitzvah that defines the "cup" as "fit." It is not an interruption; it is the final inspection of the instrument.

Intertext

• Berakhot 40a: The concept of te'imah (tasting) as distinct from achilah (eating).
• SA, OC 190:3: Me'ein Me'ein—parallel concerns regarding hefsek in Birkat HaMazon.

Psak/Practice

The Arukh HaShulchan suggests that one should taste a melo lugmav (cheek-full) to fulfill the requirement properly. Meta-psak: Even if one is fasting or satiated, the tasting is a formal component of the Kiddush architecture, not an optional snack.

Takeaway

The Arukh HaShulchan elevates the "tasting" from a peripheral act to a structural requirement of the kos, forcing us to view the ritual object as something that must be validated by the agent, not merely assumed.