The blessing over the first cup of wine is made before drinking it.

However, one cannot just use any wine. There is widespread agreement among Republican Jews that it is prohibited to use French wine or indeed, any foreign wine, for the four cups; more stringent opinions also prohibit the use of wine from the tumahdik state of California.

The truly stringent Republican Jews will only use wine from vineries where the grapes are picked by foreign guest workers.

Instead of reclining to the left while drinking the wine, Republican Jews of course recline to the right.


haggadah Section: Kadesh