0140 - Drinking Benedictine

00:01 It's known in Lubavitch that the mashke called Benedictine was considered a chosheve mashke by the Rabbeim. For instance, in the back of Samach Vav, the Hisofes, there is a reshimah of the Rebbe that he writes that the Friedik Rebbe said that when his father, the Rebbe Rashab, had finished making hagos in certain Maimonim, and it seems that he wanted to celebrate, so he told the Friedik Rebbe to go out and buy a bottle and bring a bottle of mashke called Benedictine. And, uh, he told him a story about the Rebbe Marash, et cetera, et cetera. Also by the Rebbe, we saw by the farbrengens, if someone brought a bottle of mashke Benedictine, because during the earlier years, you were able to, on any occasion, if you had a special occasion, you were able to bring a bottle and bring it to the Rebbe in the middle of the farbrengen. So if someone brought Benedictine, you could see a certain chashivah that the Rebbe had, that this mashke is considered a chosheve mashke. Also those years, every Purim, on the table of the farbrengen, there was a bottle of Benedictine. And it was said that this was sent by the Rebetzin because she was born on Chof Hey Od Alef. So her birthday is Chof Hey Od. So she would send a bottle of mashke to the farbrengen of Purim, which is close to her birthday. But the middle of the Chof, someone wrote to the Rebbe that there's a shail if you're allowed to drink

01:09 it because of a mixture of wine, et cetera. B'meile, there was a rumor that the Rebbe said to stop bringing it to the farbrengen. So for a while, for a meshe zman, no one brought to the farbrengen Benedictine. Simchas Seder Tov Shin Chof Zayin, somebody obviously who did not know of this rumor, brought to the middle of the farbrengen and gave the Rebbe a bottle of Benedictine. So when we saw him taking the bottle out and giving it to the Rebbe, we were wondering what's gonna happen here because we knew of this rumor that the Rebbe said not to bring it anymore. L'poel, the Rebbe took it, and you saw he took it in a happy way, poured some of it into his becher, poured a little bit into that person's cup, told him to distribute to the people. So we saw now that you are able to drink Benedictine. But then, Shabbos Parshas Noach, the Rebbe spoke about it, and the Rebbe said that there are these Morei Sheirenikes that use their tevah, the nature of Morei Shere, not only for learning, which means, didn't say this, but means that it says in Sforim that a person who is with the nature of Morei Shere, it's easier for him to be a masmi to learn. So the Rebbe said these are people don't only use it for their learning, but also use it to make shailas and zfeikos on drinking Benedictine. And therefore, the Rebbe said that mikahalahaba from now on, we should not

02:20 bring it to the farbrengen or not use it. I don't remember exact wording that the Rebbe said. And then he said, "Benedictine." He said, "I'm asking mechilah, forgiveness by the Rabbeim, and they shouldn't be upset that we're not gonna use Benedictine, even though in Lubavitch the Rebbe said they used it. But since we're not gonna use it..." So the Rebbe expressed himself that he's asking mechilah by the Rabbeim. Can you imagine? Kviyochal, the Rebbe has to ask mechilah by the Rabbeim. And then the Rebbe said that when the time will come and Moshe v'Aharon imohem, Moshe and Aharon will be with us, we'll ask him this question because the Rebbe didn't tie choose, but the Gemara says that Mashiach will come and Moshe v'Aharon will be here. We will be able to ask him all the questions we have, and they will resolve it. So we'll ask him this question, and they also will resolve it that we are allowed to drink it. I just wanna add that I saw quite a few years ago that somebody wrote that a person wrote a letter to the manufacturers of the Benedictine, wrote to him, to them, that he is highly allergic to wine. Any drop of wine is very dangerous for him. Can he drink Benedictine? And officially, the manufacturer answered that you are allowed to drink Benedictine because there is not a drop of wine. There's no connection to wine at all. Now, I don't know. I'm not saying whether in Halakha this is

03:42 a valid, valid enough to pasken the din, but definitely it says a lot because I assume they wouldn't answer in an official way like this when they know that this could cause somebody to become, go into a danger, and who knows, they could sue them, et ce- et cetera. And they answered officially, so that does definitely say a lot.