מְנַיִין לְאַרְבָּעָה כוֹסוֹת. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי בְנָייָה. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע גְּאוּלוֹת. לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֘ אֲנִ֣י יְי וְהֽוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם וגו׳.
From where do we derive the Four Cups? Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Benaiah: They correspond to God's four statements of delivery [in Exodus 6:6-7.]
לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ אֲנִ֣י ה' וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹקִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י ה' אֱלֹ֣קֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am ה'. I will extricate you from the labors of the Egyptians and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, ה', am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.
And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in these four cups of wine at the Passover seder. As they too were included in that miracle of the Exodus, they are therefore obligated to participate in the celebration.
The Second Cup's Special Prayer for Redemption
A Fifth Cup...for Elijah?
וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י ה'׃
I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I ה'.”
וְאַחַר כָּךְ מוֹזֵג כּוֹס רְבִיעִי וְגוֹמֵר עָלָיו אֶת הַהַלֵּל....וּמְבָרֵךְ בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן וְאֵינוֹ טוֹעֵם אַחַר כָּךְ כְּלוּם כָּל הַלַּיְלָה חוּץ מִן הַמַּיִם. וְיֵשׁ לוֹ לִמְזֹג כּוֹס חֲמִישִׁי וְלוֹמַר עָלָיו הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל מֵ(תהילים קלו א) "הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי טוֹב" עַד (תהילים קלז א) "עַל נַהֲרוֹת בָּבֶל". וְכוֹס זֶה אֵינוֹ חוֹבָה כְּמוֹ אַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת.
Afterwards, one pours a fourth cup and completes the Hallel over it...Afterwards, one does not taste anything, with the exception of water, throughout the entire night.
It is permissible to pour a fifth cup and recite upon it Psalm136, "The Great Hallel," [but] this cup is not an obligation like the other cups.
תֵּיקוּ m.n. (formally intr. v.) stalemate, draw; the question remains unanswered. According to popular etymology, an acrostic of תִּשְׁבִּי יְתָרֵץ קוּשְׁיוֹת וּבְעָיוֹת (Elijah the prophet would solve such puzzles and questions).
Elijah’s Cup: A Symbol of Agreeing to Disagree
By Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel (Beth Israel of San Diego)
Elijah’s cup is a symbol of agreeing to disagree. By design, the seder is filled with lots of questions and invitations for even more. On the surface, it may appear that the Haggadah does not sufficiently address how to have those discussions, and, especially, how we should leave them if they are left unresolved. With Elijah’s cup, we have an “out.” “Teiku,” we can say. “Someday, we’ll find a good answer. It may not be today, but hopefully one day soon.” How perfect is it that the symbol of unresolved discussion is filled with a symbol associated with joy! And wouldn’t it be great if, when we agreed to disagree, it was with sweetness, joy, and compassion on our lips, rather than with bitterness, sadness, and resentment? Perhaps then, we would be the ones to bring about the Messianic age, we would, each of us, be Elijah, and we would all be able to raise a glass and offer an even better expression: “L’chayim! To life!”