Using Non-Mevushal Wine
Question
Dear Rabbi
My parents keep a kosher home and observe shabbat. This shabbos my parents will be hosting friends who are secular/reform who are are not shomer, but plan to keep this shabbat at my parents home.
In regards to the wine, when people come to shabbat dinner that are not shomer they serve Mevushal. Since these friends will be keeping the shabbat can non Mevushal be served? Albeit, they have not previously kept shabbat or plan to keep shabbat in the future would it not be negatively Judging a Jew because they could have a positive expirence and thus propel them to keep the Shabat in the future?
How many shabbats would a Jew need to keep, to be classified as a Jew who observes shabbat hence could pour non Mevushal wine without issue?
Answers
Your last question is quite fascinating! I do not think that there is a specific number of Shabbatot that a person needs to keep before they can be considered to be Shomer Shabbat. Being Shomer Shabbat means making a commitment to keep Shabbat properly every week. That means that a person could be considered Halachically Shomer Shabbat after committing himself to keep Shabbat from now on, even though he has never done so up until now. In the same way, a person who has started to “kind of” keep Shabbat each week is not Shomer Shabbat.
That means that, in your case, your guests cannot be considered to Shomer Shabbat yet (but hopefully after this Shabbat that will change!). And that means that the wine that you serve should preferably all be Mevushal.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team