by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
Yes, people are going to think it is strange, but there are a number of people that should not necessarily be drinking large shiurim of wine. According to the practical and halachic research done by this author, this glass is the way to go.
There is a new shiur that is quite rapidly taking hold in Eretz Yisroel and elsewhere. Poskim across many spectrums of Klal Yisroel are encouraging anyone who is recommended to avoid wine consumption by their doctor to adopt this new standard.
What is the exact shiur?
It seems that the shiur of a reviis according to Rav Azriel Auerbach shlita, and Rav Ovadiah Yoseph zt”l, and many others is that it is 75 mL. This is equivalent to 2.54 ounces. This is based upon the discovery that the Dirham upon which the Rambam based his shiur is smaller than we had previously thought. Practically speaking, the only glass that this author found is the aforementioned 2.6 ounce “I Love Colorado” shot glass imported by Paykoc Imports in Colorado. Wine is preferable to grape juice l’halacha.
(a reader pointed out that this is also available – DECOLUSH 75mL (2.5 Ounce) Stainless Steel Espresso Cups – 4 Pack Double Wall Insulated Cups Demitasse Cups Coffee Cup For Drinking, Drinking Coffee, Drinking Beverages https://a.co/d/5vTobIr)
THE TWO SOURCES
The Gemorah provides us with two methods of determining the reviis and they are cited l’halacha (See MB 486:1).
- There is the thumb box volume with the dimensions of 2 thumb widths by 2 thumb widths by 2.7 thumb widths.
- There is the displacement volume of 1.5 average eggs.
It is clear that both of these values yielded the same volume.
THE CONTROVERSY BEGINS
Rav Yechezkel Landau (1713-1793) zt”l noted (Tzlach on Psachim 116a) the modern day discrepancy between the two measurements and found that the thumb box yielded a volume twice the size of the egg and half volume. He posited that the eggs during the times of chazal were twice the size of the modern eggs. This is not in accordance with the view of Rav Yoseph Karo in his Shulchan Aruch.
Generally speaking. three major opinions have developed.
- Rav Chaim No’eh (1890-1954) zt”l, basing himself on the Rambam’s quote of the weight conversion to volume of the Dirham, a coin that was present in medieval times, determined the Revi’is to be the equivalent of 86.4 grams. This translates to 3.05 ounces.
- The Chazon Ish, however, calculated that the Reviis is 150 grams or 5.3 ounces. (The Steipler Gaon in his Shiurin Shel Torah according to the Chazon Ish (p. 66).
- Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l calculated that the Revi’is is 93.56 grams which is 3.3 ounces (Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l in his Kol Dodi Hagaddah).
The Rambam writes in Hilchos Eiruvin (1:12) that a reviis of water is equivalent in weight to 26.25 Dirhams. [This was rounded up to 27 by other Poskim] Rav Chaim No’eh assumed that the Dirham that the Rambam referenced was one that was much later – equivalent to those in Yerushalayim during his own time [and that they never changed]. Modern discoveries, however, have proven that during the Rambam’s time, the Dirham was much smaller.
The Sefer Hidurei Midos cites all of these references (and the most recent printing has a haskama of Rav Shlomo Miller shlita). He also recommends the smaller shiur for anyone who needs it.
And so, anyone who cannot drink this shiur should use the “I Love Colorado” 2.6 ounce shot glass. Also, since it is too late to order them from Amazon, this author has ordered 144 of such glasses. May those who need it receive a refuah shleimah b’karov!
You can contact the author at [email protected]
Someone pointed out to me that there is a $60 set too –
Barski – European Glass – Whiskey Shot Glasses – Artistically Designed – 2.6 oz. – Set of 6 – Made in Europe
Also this one: DECOLUSH 75mL (2.5 Ounce) Stainless Steel Espresso Cups – 4 Pack Double Wall Insulated Cups Demitasse Cups Coffee Cup For Drinking, Drinking Coffee, Drinking Beverages https://a.co/d/5vTobIr
You can contact the author at [email protected]
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2 Responses
For those who want and can tolerate drinking more shiurim. Amazon.com sells Vikko 3.5 Ounce Shot Glasses small Amazon.com item number B08R7X4SQX. They have several designs available.
Rav Chaim No’eh 3.3 Ounces
Rav Moshe Feinstein 3.05 Ounces
It hold greater than 100ML. It meets most accepted halachic measurement requirements without compromise. Still half the size than the typical 7 oz goblet.
That the Egyptian dirham used by the Rambam was a little smaller than the Turkish dirham used in Eretz Yisroel in R Avrohom Chaim No’eh’s day is not at all a “recent discovery”. It has been known for many decades. As has been the determination that the true revi’is is more like 75 ml than 86.
But recent discoveries about the size of the amma in archeological finds from the time of the 2nd beis hamikdosh, which show that the amma seems to be more like 43-45 cm than 48, confirm this older finding.
By the way, even though RACN uses “grams” in his sefer, it is incorrect to use that word, since a gram is a measure of weight, not volume. The shiurim of kezayis and revi’is are measured by volume, and weight is irrelevant, so the correct unit is milliliters (or millilitres). A revi’is accordingly is about 75 ml, not grams, a kebeitza is about 50 ml, and a kezayis is assumed to be either 25 ml or 17 ml, though recent and not-so-recent discoveries cast doubt on that too, and it’s likely that the kezayis is in fact much smaller.
At any rate the very large shi’urim of the Noda Biyhuda are pretty thoroughly disproved. Eggs have not shrunk; on the contrary, they’ve grown. The Noda Biyhuda had no tradition to follow, but was working from his own measurements. EVERY community’s traditions (including the NB’s own community) said the shiurim were much smaller, and 20th century research has shown that those traditions were erring slightly on the large side, for safety, not on the small side.