Justice, Religion

Texts on intoxication and Purim: Beyond òã ãìà éãò

Talmud Bavli, Megillah 7b:

àîø øáà îéçééá àéðéù ìáñåîé áôåøéà òã ãìà éãò áéï àøåø äîï ìáøåê îøãëé øáä åøáé æéøà òáãå ñòåãú ôåøéí áäãé äããé àéáñåí ÷í øáä ùçèéä ìøáé æéøà ìîçø áòé øçîé åàçééä ìùðä àîø ìéä ðéúé îø åðòáéã ñòåãú ôåøéí áäãé äããé àîø ìéä ìà áëì ùòúà åùòúà îúøçéù ðéñà
Rava said: A person is required to become intoxicated on Purim until he does not know the difference between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai”. [This is where most people stop reading.] Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira had a Purim feast together. They became intoxicated. Rabbah got up and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, he prayed for mercy and revived him. The following year, [Rabbah] said to him “Come, let’s have a Purim feast together.” Rabbi Zeira said to him, “A miracle doesn’t happen every time.”

Ran, ad loc.:

åîçéçééá ìáñåîé òã ãìà éãò îàé ÷àîø åëúá øáéðå àôøéí æ”ì îääåà òåáãà ã÷í øáä åùçèéä ìø’ æéøà ëãà‘ áâî’ àéãçé ìéä îéîøà ãøáà åìà ùôéø ãîé ìîòáã äëé
“A person is required to become intoxicated until he does not know” – what does this mean? Rabbeinu Ephraim wrote: From the incident in which Rabbah got up and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira (as we have said in the Gemara), Rava’s statement is rejected, and it is not appropriate to act thus.

The Ba’al Hama’or quotes the same statement of Rabbeinu Ephraim, adding the line “åìéú äìëúà ëååúéä” = “the halacha is not like him [Rava]”. (Rabbeinu Ephraim may not be such a big name, but the Ran and Ba’al Hama’or don’t cite any other opinions on this issue, so they are agreeing at least implicitly.)
So even if you think that drinking on Purim is a “mitzvah” (a highly dubious claim), if you’re going to observe a Purim mitzvah to excess this year, my recommendation is matanot la’evyonim.
Happy Purim!

4 thoughts on “Texts on intoxication and Purim: Beyond òã ãìà éãò

  1. True story: So a chabad rabbi once told my younger brother that if he didn’t get shitfaced on Purim, it was the same as if he desecrated the Sabbath. He wasn’t even kidding.
    Mind you all, I have no problem with the recreational use of mood-altering substances. Just don’t pretend you’re out there puking on the sidewalk on God’s behalf. She doesn’t need your stumbley pawing, your slurred pick-up lines, and your liquor-breath.

  2. A Chabad rabbi once told me that we should have one drink and then take a nap since when we’re sleeping we don’t know the difference between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai.”

  3. the Divrei Chaim of Tzanz once said that one cannot know the true meaning of Purim until one passes out in the gutter in a pile of their own vomit.
    Why wouldn’t G-d appreciate our intoxication sacrifices? what is davening if not slurred pick-up lines?

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