In Jewish practice of the Passover was grape juice ever used? Are there any instructions in Jewish writings how juice from grapes was to be be kept in an unfermented state?

In the present, unfermented grape juice (called Tirosh) is considered an acceptable substitute for wine, but "wine" in the conventional sense is what is generally used, and from all I can tell always has been.

There may be some Jewish document somewhere about keeping grapes from fermenting, but I am not aware of it. Alcoholism has not generally been a problem in Jewish culture, so keeping grapes from fermenting has not been a major concern. The rabbis banned the use of pagan wine by the Jewish people, not because of fermentation but because of its association with idolatry. The Jewish people have been making their own wine since ancient times.

In the Jewish Bible (the Christian Old Testament), wine is forbidden under certain circumstances. Priests are forbidden to drink while engaged in sacred duties (Lev. 10:9) and one who has taken a Nazirite vow is not to touch it. Drunkenness is condemned in any case (I Sam 1:14, Prov. 20:1 among others), At the same time, the same Holy Scriptures indicate wine is appropriate in certain contexts (Prov. 31:6 for example (compare 1 Timothy 5:23 in the New Testament). Judges 9:13, Psalm 104:15, Song of Solomon 1:2) Rabbinic tradition has generally condoned drinking in moderation. This is consistent with Jesus' miraculous provision of wine for a wedding in John 2:1-11.

David Brown
AMF International
http://www.amfi.org


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