Phonetic: "Gdo'la le'gee'ma she'me'ka're'vet re'cho'keem."

Translation: Blessed is a sip that brings distant people together.

Meanings:

• When friends and relatives get together it takes time for their hearts to open as a result of daily difficulties and distresses. That's when a sip of alcohol could help, since alcohol suppresses inhibitions and allows the distant come together and get closer.
  
  
• A sip (a drink or two) is all it takes for the hearts to warm, while getting too drunk is not advisable - one must remember to exercise confinement.
  
  
• Exercising confinement (in this case controlling the drinking) is part of one's general self-control - a key ingredient for good friendship and for a good and balanced life, resulting in harmless and controlled words and speech.
  
  
• The word 'Mekarevet' - bring closer, in Hebrew is from the same root as Korban - sacrifice. As in many cases we find that we have to sacrifice one thing in order to become closer to another. Lucky us, in this case it's only a bottle of wine, or if one feels generous a Glenfiddich 18 year old single malt whisky will do!