G. Ravkin, Berdichev - Kiddush cup - Silver

Antique silver Kiddush cup – Berdichev (Kiev Assay Office), 1896

This authentic Kiddush cup is a beautiful example of late 19th-century Jewish silverware. The piece was made in Berdichev and tested by the Kiev Assay Office in 1896, a period when the city was an important center for the production of Judaica.

The cup bears the master mark ГР, belonging to Гирш Равкин (Girsh Ravkin), a well-known silversmith and producer of Judaica. In addition, it carries the assay mark С.О from assayer Стахий Орлов (Stachy Orlov), who was responsible for the official silver assay in this period.

This combination of maker and assayer places the Kiddush cup precisely in time and origin and underscores its authenticity and historical value. The object is not only suitable for use during Shabbat and holidays but also represents a valuable addition for collectors of Judaica and Russian antique silver.

A characterful and meaningful piece with a clear provenance and a rich cultural history.

The Kiddush cup shows signs of use and a small crack at the rim. See also the accompanying photos.

Height: 4.5 cm. Diameter: 4 cm.

Weight: 17.3 g.

Provenance: From the collection of Devotionalia.

What is Kiddush?

Kiddush ("sanctification") is a short ceremony in which, in the evening, at the start of the Sabbath and other holidays, a prayer is recited over a cup of wine. The blessing is spoken by the head of the household in the presence of the entire family, directly after returning from the synagogue, before the evening meal, and is repeated the following morning. The prayer consists of two blessings: one over the wine and one over the Sabbath or another holiday. The father uses the Kiddush cup with the correct amount, and each 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 responds: The reason for sharing the wine (or grape juice) is that the Wise Ones recommend taking part in a "cup of blessing" (kos shel bracha) – that is, a cup that has been used for a mitzvah ("commandment"). Thus the "blessing" is shared with the other present. Therefore, after reciting the Kiddush, someone usually pours some wine from his own cup, which is then poured into smaller cups for those present.

It is important to share the wine in the proper way. The host should pour some wine from his own cup before he himself begins to drink. Not only is drinking from another’s cup considered repulsive by many, but only pure wine may be shared. Once someone has drunk from it, the wine is regarded as pagum (literally: "defective") and is no longer valid for Kiddush – and only valid wine confers a blessing when shared. Alternatively, the person who recites the Kiddush can pass his own cup after drinking. Although wine may have already been drunk from it, since 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 small amount – so that after pouring he still has the full required amount of a revi'it in his cup. (See this earlier answer about the needed 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 sharing it with others.

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