I was told that there's a tosafos in Sanhedrin that deals with the reason why we say lchaim after drinking a toast with others. He said that tosfos talks about the procedure that the bes din followed before putting someone to death, in that they would give him a alcoholic drink to dull his senses (lshaaker)& therefore when we drink alcohol we differentiate whether its lchaim or lamaves. would you know which tosfos discusses this?
Aaron, farmingdale, nj
1) I do not know of a Tosfos that discusses this, but the Gemara in Sanhedrin 43a tells us that Rav Chiya bar Rav Ashi said in the name of Rav Chisda that the convicted criminal is given a pinch of frankincense in a cup of wine to dull his senses before the execution.
2) The Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Pekudei #2, explains more. The Sanhedrin and all of Yisrael go out to the city square and take with them the criminal convicted of the capital offence. When the great scholars have finished interrogating the witnesses, they say to them, "Savri Maranan!" ("What do our masters decide?")
If he deserves to live, they say, "l'Chaim." If he deserves to die, they say, "la'Maves." If he is liable for Sekilah, they give him good strong wine so that he should not suffer.
3) The Midrash Tanchuma continues and says that when the leader of the service holds a cup of Kidush or Havdalah in his hands (and he is afraid that there may be deathly poison in the cup), he says, "Savri Maranan," and the congregation answers, "l'Chaim!" - "this cup will be for life!"
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom