General: Birkas ha'Mazon over wine

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General: Birkas ha'Mazon over wine

Chanoch Taub asked:

I was told that if there is mazumin you are required to bentsch over wine.  
Others have said not required.  What is the Halakah?

Chanoch Taub, Kiryat Sefer, Israel
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The Kollel replies*:

The Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chayim, Siman 182, brings three opinions regarding 
when a person is required to Bentch on a Kos.  

1) The first opinion is that of Tosfos that holds that even when one eats alone 
he needs to Bentch on a Kos.

2) The second opinion is that of the Zohar that says that one only Bentches on 
a Kos if there is a Mezuman (this is also the opion of the ARI Z"L and the 
Mekubalim).

3) Finally, the Rambam holds that one is never required to Bentch on a Kos.

The Halachah follows the opinion of the Rambam.  Nonetheless, the Rema says 
(ibid) that it is a Mitzvah Min ha'Muvchar to Bentch on a Kos.  Meaning, that 
even if one is not obligated to Bentch on a Kos, he is considered to have 
performed a Mitzvah if he does.  The Mishnah Berurah says that if one has wine 
available it is fitting to follow the opinion of the Rema, however this only 
applies to a case where there is a Mezuman; if one is eating by himself (or, at 
least, no Mezuman) there is no need to be Machmir.

Some Poskim hold that even if one is lenient even where there is a Mezuman, it 
is appropriate to be Machmir on Shabbos because it adds to the Kavod of the day.

All that being said, the fact is that many great Poskim (among them the Chazon 
Ish) did not have a Minhag of Bentching on a Kos, even with a Mezuman, and even 
on Shabbos.  The source of this is probably the fact that in Russia, Poland and 
Lithuania, wine was not plentiful and therefore Bentching on a Kos became a 
rare event, and even now that we live in a time when wine is plentiful, the 
Minhag didn't change.  A precedent for this would be Hadlakas Neiros on 
Chanukah.  Even though we live in a time when it is possible to light the 
Menorah outside - which is the ideal way to perform the Mitzvah - since there 
was a long period of time when Jews had to light inside their houses, this 
remained the accepted Minhag for many Poskim.

Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler

*This is not a Psak Halachah

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