By COLlive reporter
A new video clip showed Rabbi Eliezer Brod, Rov of Karmei Yosef and Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Simcha in Kfar Chabad, Israel, overseeing the pouring of gallons of kosher wine down the drain.
Standing near him were a group of bochurim and the staff of the Bravdo Winery which sits amongst its own vineyards, near the village of Karmei Yosef in Israel’s Judean Foothills.
Surprisingly, the staff and owners of the winery – Professor Ben Ami Bravdo, Professor Oded Shoseyov and his son-in-law Zori Arkin, who both belong to veteran wine-growing families of more than 130 years – didn’t seem to mind.
Why is that?
Rabbi Brod was working on behalf of the Brooklyn-based OK Kosher which provides certification to the boutique winery. The OK explained that they do this all the time and it is part of a ritual mandated by the Torah.
A portion of all produce that grows in Israel must be consecrated to G-d, they explain. In Temple times, this was given to the Kohanim (priests) to eat in a state of purity. However, today when it is not possible to attain the required purity, this portion of produce must be disposed of.
In the case of grapes grown for wine, the portion is taken from the finished product; various percentages of the wine must be separated and poured away. G-d says with regard to this commandment: ‘Try me out – you’ll see that if you do this mitzvah; I will pay you back (to infinity)’.
“Therefore, what may seem like a ‘loss’ is in fact celebrated with a festive meal as a sign of trust in G-d that rewards will be reaped a hundredfold,” the rabbis at OK explain as they toast to “hundreds and thousands of more grapes and consequently more wine. L’chaim!”
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