(30) Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; and he and his two daughters lived in a cave. (31) And the older one said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to consort with us in the way of all the world. (32) Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him, that we may maintain life through our father.” (33) That night they made their father drink wine, and the older one went in and lay with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. (34) The next day the older one said to the younger, “See, I lay with Father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go and lie with him, that we may maintain life through our father.” (35) That night also they made their father drink wine, and the younger one went and lay with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. (36) Thus the two daughters of Lot came to be with child by their father. (37) The older one bore a son and named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. (38) And the younger also bore a son, and she called him Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.
Even today, nothing except wine brings wailing and trouble upon a person; most sins are caused by drunkenness.
Rav Ḥanan says: Wine was created in the world only to comfort mourners in their distress, and to reward the wicked in this world so that they will have no reward left in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to the bitter of soul” (Proverbs 31:6). “Him that is ready to perish” is referring to the wicked, who will perish from this world, while “the bitter of soul” denotes mourners.
Rava raises a contradiction: It is written: “And wine that gladdens the heart of man” (Psalms 104:15). The word for gladdens could be read as yeshamaḥ, meaning that wine makes one crazy, but we read it as yesamaḥ, gladdens the heart. The matter can be explained as follows: If one merits and drinks a moderate amount the wine gladdens him [mesameḥo], whereas if he does not merit and drinks excessively it makes him crazy [meshamemehu]. And that is what Rava meant when he said: Wine and fragrant spices have made me wise; that is to say, the controlled drinking of wine is beneficial to the drinker.
אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא: כׇּל הַמִּתְיַישֵּׁב בְּיֵינוֹ — יֵשׁ בּוֹ דַּעַת שִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים. ״יַיִן״ נִיתַּן בְּשִׁבְעִים אוֹתִיּוֹת, וְ״סוֹד״ נִיתַּן בְּשִׁבְעִים אוֹתִיּוֹת. נִכְנַס יַיִן — יָצָא סוֹד. אָמַר רַבִּי חָנִין: לֹא נִבְרָא יַיִן אֶלָּא לְנַחֵם אֲבֵלִים וּלְשַׁלֵּם שָׂכָר לָרְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תְּנוּ שֵׁכָר לְאוֹבֵד וְגוֹ׳״. אָמַר רַבִּי חָנִין בַּר פָּפָּא: כׇּל שֶׁאֵין יַיִן נִשְׁפָּךְ בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ כַּמַּיִם — אֵינוֹ בִּכְלַל בְּרָכָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבֵרַךְ אֶת לַחְמְךָ וְאֶת מֵימֶיךָ״. מָה לֶחֶם שֶׁנִּיקָּח בְּכֶסֶף מַעֲשֵׂר — אַף מַיִם שֶׁנִּיקָּח בְּכֶסֶף מַעֲשֵׂר, וּמַאי נִיהוּ — יַיִן, וְקָא קָרֵי לֵיהּ מַיִם. אִי נִשְׁפָּךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ כַּמַּיִם — אִיכָּא בְּרָכָה, וְאִי לָא — לָא. אָמַר רַבִּי אִילְעַאי, בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים אָדָם נִיכָּר: בְּכוֹסוֹ, וּבְכִיסוֹ וּבְכַעְסוֹ. וְאָמְרִי לֵיהּ אַף בְּשַׂחֲקוֹ.
Rabbi Ḥiyya said: Anyone who remains settled of mind after drinking wine, and does not become intoxicated, has an element of the mind-set of seventy Elders. Typically, when wine entered the body, a secret emerged. Whoever does not reveal secrets when he drinks is clearly blessed with a firm mind, like that of seventy Elders.
On the topic of drinking wine, Rabba bar Rav Huna said: One who has drunk wine must not pray, but if he nonetheless prayed, his prayer is a prayer, i.e., he has fulfilled his obligation. On the other hand, one who is intoxicated with wine must not pray, and if he prayed, his prayer is an abomination. The Gemara poses a question: What are the circumstances in which a person is considered one who has drunk wine; and what are the circumstances in which a person is considered one who is intoxicated with wine? One who has drunk wine refers to anyone who has drunk wine but whose mind remains clear enough that he is able to talk in the presence of a king. One who is intoxicated refers to anyone who is so disoriented by the wine he has drunk that he is not able to talk in the presence of a king.
The Gemara raises an objection to this argument from the following baraita: With regard to one who is intoxicated, his acquisition is a binding acquisition; that is, he cannot retract the transaction when he is sober, and similarly, his sale is a binding sale. Moreover, if he committed a transgression for which he is liable to receive the death penalty, he is executed; and if the offense is punishable by lashes, he is flogged. The principle is that he is like a sober person in all matters, except that he is exempt from prayer. Therefore, even if the people of Israel are considered drunk, they are nonetheless responsible for their actions. The Gemara answers that he meant that he could exempt them from the judgment of prayer, i.e., Jews cannot be held liable for praying without the proper intentions. Rabbi Ḥanina said: They taught that an intoxicated person is responsible for all his actions only in a case where he did not reach the state of intoxication of Lot; however, if he reached the state of intoxication of Lot, so that he is altogether unaware of his actions, he is exempt from all liability.
The court gives one who is being led out to be killed a grain [koret] of frankincense in a cup of wine in order to confuse his mind and thereby minimize his suffering from the fear of his impending death, as it is stated: “Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to the bitter in soul” (Proverbs 31:6).
The Sages taught: A man is obligated to gladden his children and the members of his household on a Festival, as it is stated: “And you shall rejoice on your Festival, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are within your gates” (Deuteronomy 16:14). With what should one make them rejoice? With wine. Rabbi Yehuda says: One should enable each member of his household to rejoice with an item that pleases them, men with what is fit for them and women with what is fit for them. Rabbi Yehuda elaborates: Men with what is fit for them, i.e., with wine. And as for the women, with what should one cause them to rejoice? Rav Yosef teaches: One should delight them with new clothes, in Babylonia with colored clothes and in Eretz Yisrael with the pressed linen clothes that are manufactured there.
It was taught in a baraita: One cup of wine is good for a woman; two cups is a disgrace, as she will start to become drunk; after three cups, she will become lustful and verbally request sexual intercourse, which is unseemly; after four cups of wine, she will even request intercourse from a donkey in the marketplace, as at this stage she is so drunk that she is not particular about with whom she has relations. Rava said: They taught that a woman should not drink much wine only if her husband is not with her. However, if her husband is with her, we have no problem with it. If she feels an urge for intercourse her husband is available.
If wine flows in a person’s house like water, there is a blessing, but if not, there is no blessing. Rabbi Elai said: In three matters a person’s true character is ascertained; in his cup, i.e., his behavior when he drinks; in his pocket, i.e., his conduct in his financial dealings with other people; and in his anger. And some say: A person also reveals his real nature in his laughter.
תנו רבנן אין מקדשין אלא על היין ואין מברכין אלא על היין
The Sages taught: One recites kiddush only over wine, and one recites blessings only over wine.
One who wastes resources is comparable to one who destroys items of value. And Rav Pappa said: One who is able to drink beer and nevertheless drinks wine violates the prohibition against wanton destruction. The Gemara comments: And this is not a correct matter, as the prohibition against destruction of one’s body takes precedence. It is preferable for one to care for his body by eating higher quality food than to conserve his money.
Levi sent Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi a beer of thirteen soakings (thirteen batches of dates had been soaked in water until it had thoroughly absorbed the taste of the dates). He tasted it and it was especially pleasant. He said: "Like this is fit to recite kiddush over and to say upon it all the songs and praises in the world."
At night, it caused him pain. He said: "It pains and soothes."
ואמר רבא תיהוי שקיותיה שיכרא מאן דמקדש אשיכרא
And Rava said: "One who recites kiddush over beer, his drink should be beer."
(ט) בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין יַיִן מָצוּי, יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁמְּקַדְּשִׁים עַל שֵׁכָר וּשְׁאָר מַשְׁקִין, חוּץ מִן הַמַּיִם.
וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאֵין מְקַדְּשִׁין.
וּלְהָרֹא''שׁ, בַּלַּיְלָה לֹא יְקַדֵּשׁ עַל הַשֵּׁכָר אֶלָּא עַל הַפַּת, וּבַבֹּקֶר יוֹתֵר טוֹב לְקַדֵּשׁ עַל הַשֵּׁכָר, שֶׁיְּבָרֵךְ עָלָיו שֶׁהַכֹּל קֹדֶם בִּרְכַּת הַמּוֹצִיא, שֶׁאִם יְבָרֵךְ עַל הַפַּת תְּחִלָּה אֵין כָּאן שׁוּם שִׁנּוּי, וְדִבְרֵי טַעַם הֵם.
(9) Wherever wine is not found, there are those who say we may say Kiddush over liquor and other beverages, except for water. And there are those who say we cannot say Kiddush over these. According to the Rosh, on Friday night, one should not say Kiddush over bread and not liquor; and on Saturday, it is better to say Kiddush over liquor, so that they would say Shehakol before he says HaMotzi, because if one said Kiddush over bread, there'd be no change here (from the Friday night blessing), and these reasons make sense.
Mar Ukva said: This one who drinks inferior white wine [tilya] will be afflicted with weakness [vitak]. Rav Ḥisda said: There are sixty types of wine. The best of them all is red, fragrant wine. The worst of them all is inferior white wine.
With regard to lime, the Gemara relates: Rav Beivai had a daughter. He smeared her with lime limb by limb and, as a result, she became so beautiful that when marrying her off, he received four hundred zuz in gifts for her beyond her dowry. There was a certain gentile in Rav Beivai’s neighborhood. He had a daughter and wanted to do the same. He smeared her entire body with lime at one time and she died. He said: Rav Beivai killed my daughter. Rav Naḥman said: Rav Beivai, who drinks beer, his daughters require that they be smeared with lime, as beer causes hair growth; we, who do not drink beer, our daughters do not require that they be smeared with lime.