We have finished the simanim of the Chayei Adam regarding kiddush, and we are clarifying
additional points not mentioned in the Chayei Adam. Today, we will discuss whether there is a need to make a bracha achrona over the kiddush wine for someone who had a revi’is.
The minhag is to assume it is covered by benching, and the Shulchan Aruch in siman 271 writes that there is no need to recite bracha achrona, because it is covered by benching. The Shulchan Aruch references siman 174, where he gives the same psak. However, over there, the Biur Halacha brings as machlokes rishonim. Tosfos, Ramban and Ran hold that benching covers wine drunk during the meal, because it is part of the meal, but does not cover kiddush, which is either to show kavod or to serve as a kos shel bracha, so it is not part of the brachos made on the meal.
The Biur Halacha grapples with whether we should be concerned with the opinion above, which would require a separate al hagafen for kiddush. He gives three suggestions to avoid the safeik. The first is that if benching at the meal will be with a kos, that person will have to make an al hagefen after the meal, so the person who made kiddush should have in mind to be yotzei with that bracha, just in case.
Another suggestion he discusses is that even if one holds that benching does not cover the wine of the kiddush, the halacha is that if a person incorrectly benches as their bracha achrona after drinking wine, bedeived, benching covers the bracha of al hagefen. Thus, if one has kavannah when benching that they wish to include their kiddush wine as well, it works.
The Biur Halacha discusses a third possibility, which is the one he prefers. Wine during the meal is definitely covered by benching, but requires a bracha rishona of hagafen. If one made hagafen at kiddush, the hagafen of kiddush covers any wine drunk during the wine. If so, it comes out that the hagafen can cover both kiddush and any subsequent wine drunk during the meal. On the other side, wine drunk during the meal is definitely covered by benching. If so, wine from before the meal–which is the bracha rishona for the wine drunk during the meal–can be included in benching. This process is known as greirah, pulling along. The wine during pulls along the wine from before the meal to be included in benching.
If so, it would be appropriate for a person to drink a revi’is of wine or grape juice during the meal in order to be able to employ this logic.
Nevertheless, some achronim do not agree with this thought process. When it is possible to be yotzei with an al hagefen after benching, one can do so, but otherwise, they should follow this suggestion of having a revi’is of wine or grape juice during the meal.
Summary
In order to avoid a safeik regarding the need to make a separate bracha achrona of al hagefen on the kiddush wine,
- if they are benching with a kos, one should be yotzei with the al hagefen of the person leading benching.
- If there is no kos, they should have a revi’is of wine or grape juice during the meal.
- They should have explicit intent to include the wine of kiddush in benching.
- Even if a and b above were not relevant, and they forgot to have explicit intent, the Shulchan Aruch clearly paskens that it is included in benching.
