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There is a newish product on the market called Grape Juice light. O can’t figure out why anybody would actually buy watered down grape juice. It would be a lot cheaper to just buy regular grape juice and add water yourself.
However, what many might not realize, this product is not considered grape juice according to most poskim.
Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztl rules that watered down grape juice becomes shehakol, and can not be used for Kiddush or the four kosos on Pesach. Reb Shmuel Kaminetzky shlita paskens the same way.
It seems that many people are buying this unaware that it cannot be used for it’s intended pupose according to most poskim.
Did you consider the possibility that maybe “Grape Juice Light” is not just watered down grape juice and perhaps that’s why people use it instead of watering down grape juice?
If you are referring to Kedem Light Grape Juice, there is a hechsher on the bottle from The Rav of Zehelem and The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Is that the OU?) and states, “Kosher lePesach for Kiddush and the Arba Kosos”.
I highly doubt that this is simply watered down Grape Juice, and would be happy to hear what the two Kashrus authorities mentioned above have to say.Can you define most poskim? You only named 2.
The above Poskim are good enough for me
It doesn’t sound like you know what the company means when it uses the word “light”. Maybe it means less sugar and fewer calories. Or something else entirely. To jump to the conclusion that it means the addition of water is unsubstantiated and unfair.
To assume the watered-down theory and then slide seamlessly into what the poskim think about it is borderline deception.
R’ Belsky zt”l wrote a teshuva where he says it can be used. It’s not just watered down Grape Juice.
It is extremely useful for diabetics, as it contains significantly less sugar than most other products. I know many who use this exclusively for kiddush and arba kosos.Light grape juice is amazing, I use it every week for kiddush and havdalah
My LOR uses it for Kiddush on Shabbos.
I always thought that the reason bottled grape juice tastes much sweeter than freshly squeezed grapes is because they add concentrated grape juice (this rather than sugar so that they can still call it 100% grape). Can anyone here who knows more about it either confirm or deny this? If it is true then perhaps light grape juice is just plain juice without the added concentrate. (Anyone who has eaten a cupful of fresh grapes can immediately feel that it is much lighter and less sweet than a cupful of regular grape juice.)
Chad:
The light grape juice of the most popular brand has grape concentrate and water in the ingredients, as does the non-light version. I assume the ratios are just different for the light variant. The shittah that water + concentrate brands are not real gefen might be a real thing, but the differentiation between the light and non-light would be arbitrary in this regard. If one holds concentrate-based juice is shehakol, then you would say shehakol on both.“All OU grape juice that has printed on the bottles “Kosher for Kiddush” contains at least 51% single strength grape juice, and everyone would agree the bracha is Borei pri hagafen”
oukosher.org/halacha-yomis/may-one-use-grape-juice-kiddush/
anonymous”: yes my LOR is well aware of the ingredient list and based on his research has concluded that on shabbos one can use it for kiddush.
Kedem makes 3 versions.
1. The glass bottles of grape juice is 100% juice.
2. The plastic bottles include concentrate but no water.
3. Light, which contains concentrate and water.There are various opinions as to whether adding water invalidates it for kiddush and/or changes its brocho.
Everyone should as their rabbi as to how to rule. On the bottle itself are two authorities who rule it’s ok.
The very popular kosher grape juice brand which shall remain nameless so the thread doesn’t close has multiple types of the glass bottle. There’s the organic glass bottle (which I assume is the 100% real juice you’re talking about; it leaves a purply powder residue), and the non-organic. Not sure if the non-organic glass ones have concentrate.
How can something have concentrate without water to balance it out? That would just end up being pretty much syrup. Maybe they aren’t required to list water as its own ingredient up to a certain point?
Kedem light grape juice used to be 65% juice they just recently raised it to 70% juice to make it more than 2/3 I don’t see why any poskim would have an issue with it now!!!!!
ny100k
I assure you that you have no idea what you are talking about!1. HA!
2. HAHA!
3. HAHAHA!ChadGadya
Go back to sheep! The bottled version tastes better than the garbage you would make at home because wine/juice grapes are totally different than table grapes! They dont have to add any Concentrate to it however Kedem might add some only to keep the flavor profile as grape juice tastes slightly different every year and even from vine to vine.Wine grapes can be eaten fresh.
Why buy the Light version when you can buy the real version for the same price and add water, getting more grape juice for the same money?
Someone told me they heard that kedem said that light grape juice is actually a different grape not just watered down. Idk if that’s true I find it hard to believe!!!
Anonymous I got my numbers from the back of the bottle weve been using it on shabbos for years
Funny thing is, at Osher Ad the big plastic bottles of Kedem are cheaper than the Israeli grape juice, so that is what we use. And I did ask our LOR about this tonight, and he told me the Kedem (regular, I didn’t ask about the lite version) is fine for use all year round, including for the Seder.
There is a machlokes between the mechaber and rma regarding the ratio of wine/water for something to be considered halachicly wine. There is a difference in how American and Israeli grape juice is made. israeli grape juice and certainly light grape juice is problematic according to the mechaber, while american grape juice, (and possibly even light) is not even for sefardim. I heard this in a shiur from a sefardi Rav, addressing making kiddush on grape juice.
Everyone should ask their own rav, their own shayla.
“There is a newish product on the market called Grape Juice light.”
Light grape juice has been on the market for at least a dozen years. Probably more. not so new. Just your hock. It is only 2nd day of bein hazmanim, and already your bored?
ALL grape juice is “watered down.”
All grape juice is made from concentrate, to which water is then added.
The “light” grape juice, as far as I know, just has more water added to it.
It’s no less “grape juice” than the regular product is.
Personally, I buy the regular and add my own water.
If you think I’m wrong try getting Kedem to deny that they’re doing anything other than, when they reconstitute the concentrate, adding more water.
It’s not watered down if they reconstitute it to its original concentration or more.
anionymous: listening to the OU’s pre pesach webinar and their wine expert Rabbi Rabinovich (monastrich) stated outright that Kedem light Grape Juice is Kosher for Kiddush and Arba Kosos and can still have water added to it for those with health issues and it will still be hagafen.
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