Why Don't Women Drink from the Havdalah Cup?

The responsa Kiryat Chana David (Part 2, by Rabbi David Hacohen Skali, a judge in Morocco) writes: "The custom of women not tasting from the Havdalah cup appears to be because they say that Eve squeezed grapes for Adam and gave them to him, thereby causing good to be mixed with evil. Through our mitzvot and actions, we separate between good and evil. Therefore, we make Havdalah over wine to correct what was distorted by the woman's wine, and we distinguish between light and darkness, and between sacred and ordinary. Because she caused this mixture, she does not taste [the wine]."

In the responsa Har Tzvi (Part 1, Section 155), he writes in the name of Rabbi A.Z. Meltzer, giving a halachic reason for why women customarily do not taste the Havdalah wine: "Because we are concerned that perhaps the law follows those who say women are exempt from Havdalah, and according to this view, responding 'Amen' to the blessings over light and separation would constitute an interruption between the blessing over wine made by the husband and drinking." However, he questioned this reasoning: "This requires some examination because ultimately she is obligated to make Havdalah out of doubt, and an obligation from doubt is still an obligation and would not constitute an interruption."

The Mahara"z Sofer in his responsa wrote that he was asked by a respected rabbi to clarify the reason for the custom that women do not taste from the Havdalah cup. He cited the reason mentioned above about Eve squeezing grapes for Adam, but he rejected this explanation, noting that the sin of the Tree of Knowledge occurred on the eve of Shabbat, and women do drink from the Kiddush cup, so why would they refrain only from the Havdalah cup? He provided a source for this custom based on the law that one who has already fulfilled their Havdalah obligation can still perform it for others, and can also fulfill the wine blessing obligation for others, as with Kiddush. If one of the listeners has already fulfilled their Havdalah obligation, they cannot fulfill the wine blessing through the one making Havdalah. With women—since it is uncertain whether they are obligated in Havdalah—there is also doubt whether they can fulfill the wine blessing through the one making Havdalah. Therefore, they cannot taste from the Havdalah cup due to this uncertainty: if they are obligated in Havdalah, they fulfill it through the one making Havdalah, including the wine blessing, and can drink without a blessing. But if women are not obligated in Havdalah, since the obligation doesn't apply to them, they also don't fulfill the wine blessing and would need to make their own blessing if they wanted to drink, which is why it's preferable for them not to taste from the Havdalah cup.

In summary: There are several reasons why some women don't drink from the Havdalah cup: First, Eve caused Adam to sin by squeezing grapes and giving them to him. Second, there are opinions that women are not obligated in Havdalah, creating doubt about whether they can fulfill the wine blessing through the one making Havdalah. However, it's important to know that the established halacha (Shulchan Aruch 296:8) is that women are obligated in Havdalah just like Kiddush.

Rabbi Shai Amar is a rabbi in the Halacha department of Hidabroot