Pesachim 108b — the Talmud in English

And Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in these four cups

of the seder night, because

they too were included in that miracle.

For it was through the merit of the righteous women of that generation that they were redeemed from Egypt.

Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel: These four cups must contain

wine

sufficient for the dilution of a proper cup.

That is, a cup of the blessing of the food, which is called a proper cup because the Sages required that it be made proper, for it requires adornment, wrapping, rinsing, and the like, as it is stated in Tractate Berakhot 51a.

The measure of a cup of blessing is a quarter of a log. And since their wine was strong, they would customarily dilute it. That is, to add water to it in the proportion of three parts water to one part wine.

And it follows that the amount of wine in a cup of a quarter [of a log] is a quarter of a quarter.

And it might have entered our minds that Samuel said that all four cups together would contain this measure of a quarter of a quarter of wine [and together with the water, a complete quarter].

If he drank them undiluted

without diluting them with water, but the wine alone was the measure of a quarter,

he has fulfilled [his obligation].

If he drank them all at once

by mixing into one cup the measure of four cups and drinking it all at once,

he has fulfilled [his obligation].

If he gave some of them to his sons and the members of his household

from each cup, so that he did not drink all of it, but also gave some of it to the members of his household,

he has fulfilled [his obligation].

And we explain all these laws:

If he drank them undiluted, he has fulfilled [his obligation]—

Rava said: He has fulfilled the obligation of wine.

For he has fulfilled the mitzva of the four cups.

But

he has not fulfilled the obligation of freedom.

This is not a complete mitzva, since importance exists only with diluted wine.

If he drank them all at once—

Rav said: The obligation

of the mitzva of rejoicing on the Festival through drinking

wine he has fulfilled.

But

the obligation

of the mitzva of drinking

the four cups he has not fulfilled.

For all of them are considered only one cup, and he must drink three more cups.

If he gave some of them to his sons and the members of his household, he has fulfilled [his obligation]—

Rav Nahman said: And this is when he himself drank

himself

most of the cup.

An objection was raised

against Samuel, who said that in all four cups together there needs to be only a quarter of a quarter of wine, from what was taught in a beraita:

These four cups—

must contain a quarter

of undiluted wine for all four cups.

That is, he adds three quarters of water to the wine, and together it is four quarters. That is, a quarter of diluted wine for each of the four cups.

And he may drink them,

one undiluted

[and there will be four quarters in the wine alone],

and one diluted

with water [and together with the water there will be four quarters].

One

wine

new

which does not yet have the taste of wine,

and one

wine

old

whose wine taste has already weakened.

Rabbi Judah says: It must contain the taste

of wine, and not new wine and not old wine, which do not have the taste of wine,

and

it must also have the

appearance

of wine, so that it is red.

And this is difficult for Rav Judah in the name of Samuel. For

at any rate it teaches

in the beraita that the four cups together must contain

a quarter

of undiluted wine.

And

if

you say

that it is sufficient for all of them to have the measure of the dilution of

a proper cup,

that is, a quarter of a quarter of undiluted wine?

And we answer:

They said: Both this and that are one measure.

For

what

“the dilution of a proper cup”

does he say

Rav Judah in the name of Samuel—

for each and every one

of the cups

so that all of them become

together

a quarter

of undiluted wine, as the beraita teaches.

We learned in the beraita:

Rabbi Judah says: It must contain the taste and appearance of wine.

Rava said: What is the reason of Rabbi Judah?

For it is written: “Do not look at wine

[do not desire to be accustomed to it]

when it reddens.”

Thus, wine must have an appearance. And from the fact that Scripture warns not to become drunk from it, it follows that it is called wine only when it has the taste of wine.

The Sages taught: Everyone is obligated in these four cups.

Both men and women and children,

for they too were redeemed.

Rabbi Judah said: What benefit is there for children in wine?

Are they not exempt from the mitzvot?