Erfgenamen I.E. Zakhoder, Berdichev - Kiddush cup - Silver

Rare silver Kiddush cup – Berdichev (Kiev Assay Office), 1907

This remarkable Kiddush cup is a historical and collectible object from 1907, certified in Berdichev by the Kiev Assay Office. The cup bears an exceptional and well-documented combination of hallmarks that were used exclusively in this year.

The master mark Н over ИЕЗ stands for Наследники И.Е. Заходера (Heirs of I.E. Zakhoder). Israel Yeselevich Zakhoder was the owner of a silverware factory and a renowned producer of Judaica. After his death in 1907, the workshop was continued by his heirs, which is reflected in the addition of the letter “Н” (Nasledniki / Heirs) to the original ИЕЗ mark. This makes this Kiddush cup directly datable and especially rare.

In addition to the master mark, the medals of a exhibition winner are depicted beside the Н-ИЕЗ mark, referring to the workshop’s recognition and quality. To the right of the certified head are the initials ЛО, belonging to Лев Олекс (Lev Oleks), manager of the Kiev Assay Office. This specific combination of hallmarks was used only in 1907, the year of Zakhoder’s death. For a clearer display of the hallmark, please refer to the attached appendix.

The history behind this piece is particularly rich. The Israel Yeselevich Zakhoder Silver Workshop (ИЕЗ) was forced to leave Moscow in the early 1890s due to strict measures against Jews and settled in Berdichev. Also the silver workshop of Girsh Ravkin (ГР), Zakhoder’s son-in-law, moved to this town. After Israel Yeselevich’s death, the two workshops were merged under Ravkin’s leadership.

This Kiddush cup is not only a functional ritual object but also a tangible piece of Jewish history, craftsmanship, and resilience. An exceptional addition for connoisseurs of Judaica, Russian silver, and museum objects.

Height: 7 cm. Diameter: 5.6 cm.

Weight: 44.2 g.

Provenance: From the Devotionalia collection.

What is Kiddush?

Kiddush ("sanctification") is a brief ceremony in the evening, at the start of the Sabbath and other holidays, during which a blessing is spoken over a cup of wine. The blessing is recited by the head of the household in the presence of the entire family, immediately after returning from the synagogue, before the evening meal, and is repeated the following morning. The blessing consists of two blessings: one over the wine and one over the Sabbath or another holiday. The father uses the Kiddush cup with the proper contents, and every family member has their own smaller Kiddush cup. This is considered healthier than drinking directly from the same large, shared Kiddush cup.

The Aish Rabbi answers: The reason for sharing wine (or grape juice) is that the Wise ones recommend taking part in a "cup of blessing" (kos shel bracha) – that is, a cup used for a mitzvah ("commandment"). Thus the "blessing" is shared with the other participants. Therefore, after reciting Kiddush, someone usually pours a little wine from their own cup, which is then poured into smaller cups for those present.

It is important to share the wine in the correct way. The host should pour some wine from his own cup before he begins to drink. Not only is drinking from someone else’s cup repulsive to many, but only pure wine may be shared. Once someone has drunk from it, the wine is considered pagum (literally: "defective") and is no longer valid for Kiddush – and only valid wine makes a blessing when it is shared. Alternatively, the person who recites Kiddush can pass his own cup after drinking. Although wine has already been drunk from it, because it remains in the original cup it is not pagum and may be shared.

If the host pours wine from his own cup before he begins to drink, he must ensure he pours only a little – so that he still has the full required amount of revi’it in his cup after pouring. (See this earlier answer about the required amount of wine.) If his cup is small and there are many guests, a common solution is to pre-pour a quantity of wine from the bottle into a separate cup and then pour a little Kiddush wine into that cup before it is shared with others.

Finally, the participants must wait to drink the wine they have received until the host himself begins to drink. Even more, after the host has poured some wine from his cup into a second cup, he must drink it immediately before sharing the poured wine with others.