Go to any observant home on a Friday night and you’ll see a beautifully set Sabbath table. While the table cloths and prayer books may differ, the one thing that’s never missing from the table is a bottle of wine.
The act of saying a blessing and drinking wine as we enter the Sabbath is called a “kiddish”, and translates into “holiness”. Scripture tells us in Genesis 2:1-3 that "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.". Elsewhere, in Exodus 20:8 it says “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.”.
So, why is wine the element we use to set apart and “make holy” this entrance into the seventh day Sabbath? The blessing we recite as we drink the wine is
ברוך אתה יהיה אלהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן.
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe who Creates the fruit of the vine.”.
This blessings recalls the very work of creation as it states"who creates the fruit of the vine". This creation we remember as we intentionally cease creating and rest as Hashem did on the seventh day.
To add to the significance of this ancient tradition of reciting kiddish over wine, it’s amazing how even presently in modern times wine marks the entry of many "restful and holy events". Just look at the common practice at weddings. We lift the wine glass and we toast to celebrate the entry into a new and beautiful covenant. And likewise, on anniversaries couples lift the glass to commemorate the covenant they once entered into.
Let us lift our glasses this next Friday night as we too enter in and commemorate our covenant with Hashem. May your kiddish and your Sabbath be filled with meaning, peace, and rest.
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