Transcript
Okay, so as we sit counting down the hours anticipating פורים Purim, I felt remiss to not do a topic that deals with פורים Purim, which we're going to do. But beforehand, since this is a פרשה Parsha class, it would be wrong not to touch on the פרשה Parsha at all. So we're going to touch on the פרשה Parsha quickly, share one quick thought on the פרשה Parsha and then we're going to deal with the פורים Purim issue. After the חטא העגל Cheit Ha'egel, after the sin of the golden calf, perhaps the greatest act of disobedience in human history, to cheat on God on your wedding night with him, and to build a golden calf in abandonment of the loyalty and fidelity to the Almighty himself. משה Moshe approaches God and prays. משה Moshe begs forgiveness on behalf of the Jewish people. And God provides that forgiveness. But in the context of providing the forgiveness, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, God reveals his thirteen attributes. We recite them on a fast day, like today. This formula that if we invoke it, and we acknowledge and we recognize God's thirteen unique different aspects of compassion, which we've studied and it's for another time, what's the differences between these thirteen? Aren't they just synonyms for the word compassion? The answer is no, each one is nuanced, each one is different. So God reveals them. But in the context of משה Moshe appealing to השם Hashem for forgiveness, if you look on page 150, פרק ל\"ד Perek Lamed Daled, פסוק ט' Pasuk Tes. משה Moshe tells him, ויאמר אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך השם ילך נא השם בקרבנו Vayomer im na matzasi chein b'einecha Hashem, yelech na Hashem b'kirbeinu. He says, if I have found favor in your eyes God, then go among us, be among us. כי עם קשה עורף הוא Ki am kshei oref hu, and why should you forgive the people? Why should you be willing to dismiss their egregious mistake and sin? Because they are an עם קשה עורף am kshei oref. What's the definition of עם קשה עורף am kshei oref? Stiff-necked. Why do we describe someone as stiff-necked? They're stubborn, they're inflexible. וסלחת לעווננו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו V'salachta la'avoneinu ul'chataseinu unchaltanu. Forgive our mistake, our error, and make us ונחלתנו unchaltanu, make us your נחלה nachala, let us inherit, let us have a heritage of a warm and positive relationship with you. Now here's the problem. משה Moshe invokes this quality of the Jewish people in his appeal to השם Hashem to forgive them. The problem is that when השם Hashem displays his incredible anger at the people and his desire to eliminate them, why, why does he do so? What's his reason? After building the עגל eigel, משה Moshe smashes the tablets, השם Hashem announces that he's going to destroy the people, and why is he going to destroy the people? Because they are a stiff-necked... עם קשה עורף am kshei oref. Because they're a stiff-necked people. They're stiff... So the very, the very reason that God himself provides why he's going to kill the people is the reason משה Moshe invokes. How is that possible? משה Moshe is a smart man. Why in the world would he think that the, the very liability that the people display, the deficiency in their character that they exhibit, can be transformed to be the very noble quality through which he's going to earn forgiveness? עם קשה עורף Am kshei oref. What's going on? And I thought perhaps you can answer it based on the beginning of the פרשה parsha. In the beginning of the פרשה parsha we have, you know, there's so much that connects. פרשת כי תשא Parshas Ki Sisa is the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. Today we have the custom of bringing on ערב פורים Erev Purim the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, commemoration of the Jewish people would do it in the time of the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. The פרשה parsha is what we read on a fast day, and so on and so forth. There's there's so many overlaps, so many connections. So at the beginning of the פרשה parsha, השם Hashem tells משה Moshe every one of the Jewish people need to bring a half shekel. Every one, not everyone, but rather from a certain age. מבן עשרים ומעלה Mi'ben esrim v'ma'ala, twenty years and up. A rich person can't give more, and an impoverished indigent person can't give less. Everybody brings a half shekel. And what was the half shekel used for? The half shekel was used for the קרבן ציבור korban tzibbur, for the sacrifices of the community. Now משה Moshe was not exactly sure about this half shekel. What's the deal with this half shekel? So רש\"י Rashi quotes that השם Hashem was הראה לו her'e'lo, השם Hashem showed him a coin that was on fire. And when משה Moshe saw the image of the coin on fire, he now understood exactly what this was and proceeded with the census, proceeded with the count, proceeded to collect the half shekel from each person. What's the image of the fire? So many of the commentators explain as follows. Fire is a very, very interesting substance. Fire is the ultimate symbol of potential. And how we use and channel the potential of fire determines whether fire is good or bad. Fire does not have an inherent, intrinsic, internal, it's not good or bad by definition. It's determined by the person who uses the fire. If we use the fire to provide energy, warmth, or light, then fire is good. If fire is used to burn, to consume, to destroy, then fire is bad. So the value of fire is determined not inherently, the value of fire is determined how? By the person using it. By the intent of the individual who's using it. So the מפרשים meforshim explain the same is true with money. Money is not inherently good and it's not inherently bad. Money can be used to do incredible things. Just returned from AIPAC, over 13,000 people using their money to try to support people, candidates, politicians who are supportive of Israel and to make a positive statement. Money can be used very positively, to help those who are downtrodden and poor and hungry, to contribute to all kinds of causes, to be able to advance our own learning. Money can be positive. And money of course can corrupt, and money can destroy, and money can be used for bribes, and money can be used to extort, and so on and so forth. Money can also be used for bad. Money like fire is a symbol of potential. It's not inherently or intrinsically good or bad, it's determined by the intent of the person who uses it. Use it properly, can be for the good. Use it improperly, it can be for the bad. Whether it's good or bad is determined by the person who uses it. It's not categorically good or categorically bad, but it's determined by the intent of the person and how they use it. The לוחות Luchos, which were holier? The first set of לוחות Luchos or the second set of לוחות Luchos? The first. So חז\"ל Chazal tell us the second set of לוחות Luchos are holier. Which is fascinating. The first set of לוחות Luchos were made entirely by השם Hashem, miraculously, the מם mem and the סמך samech, the middle suspended in midair even though it wasn't attached to the stone, written on both sides, many, many features that were miraculous about it. השם Hashem fashioned the first set of לוחות Luchos himself, they were miraculous. Second set of לוחות Luchos, משה Moshe participated. And yet it was the second set of לוחות Luchos that were holier, why? Because holiness is by the input, by the influence, by the intent of man. Meaning, purpose are contributed by the intent, by the כוונה kavana of man, what we give, what we provide. Come back to עם קשה עורף am kshei oref. Perhaps משה Moshe's argument to השם Hashem was that stubbornness, being stiff-necked is not inherently or intrinsically good or bad. It's determined by the person, the attitude, the approach, the intent of how we use it. We studied together the introduction to חובות התלמידים Chovos HaTalmidim, a student's obligation, the פיאסצנער רבי Piaszesner Rebbe, a brilliant, brilliant work, we don't have time to elaborate on everything that we studied. But he talks about it in there, and he quotes the case of עם קשה עורף am kshei oref, he doesn't use the example from our פרשה parsha. But he says that human qualities are not categorically good or bad. And in our children, we shouldn't see any particular behavior as categorically good or bad. We should see it as latent with potential. And the onus is on us as the parent, as the teacher to shape them and to channel this quality for the good. And he gives as an example, stubbornness. Parents try to break the stubbornness in their child. Child insists on tying their own shoe and you're late to get out of the house. Child insists on buckling their own seatbelt, but you're late to where you're going. Child insists on whatever the case may be, and it's driving the parent nuts. And what do most parents do? They try to break the stubbornness. Says the פיאסצנער רבי Piaszesner Rebbe, what a terrible strategic mistake. Don't break stubbornness, embrace stubbornness as a virtue. Because when that child grows up and that child is on the playground and that child is being offered some bad substance. That child grows up and goes to college and is exposed to all kinds of foreign influences, if that child is stubborn, they will remain stubborn in their values, they will remain stubborn and steadfast in their lifestyle. Stubbornness is not bad, stubbornness is wonderful if you're stubborn to fight the valiant fight for noble, noble things. Stubbornness is wonderful if you're not willing to sway or be flexible or influenced by foreign influences that surround us. Stubbornness can be a tremendous virtue. And perhaps that's what משה Moshe is doing. משה Moshe is using the very quality that God said was the reason he couldn't forgive them to say, no השם Hashem, you don't get it. Not that משה Moshe would say that to השם Hashem. So you know השם Hashem, that very quality of stubbornness is not a reason to eliminate them. If you help me guide them, turn them around, that stubbornness will be their greatest virtue. And could the Jewish people be here today if not for the stubbornness? Could we have survived pogroms, systematic attempts to eliminate us? Could we have triumphed over our enemies? Could we be here today with a sense of hope and faith and optimism in a future? Could we have a small state of Israel with its strong army in the face of all those who want to eliminate, if not for our stubbornness, if not for being stiff-necked? עם קשה עורף Am kshei oref is indeed a virtue. And משה Moshe is successful in his appeal of the Almighty by reminding השם Hashem that עם קשה עורף am kshei oref is not by definition inherently bad, but rather it's something which is potential, if we can guide the people in the right path, their stubbornness will be their their saving grace, their greatest virtue. Okay, that's the פרשה parsha. That's the פרשה parsha. What I want to really spend our time on today is a topic about פורים Purim. And that is something I think that is often misunderstood, and that is the relationship between drinking and פורים Purim. Alcohol and פורים Purim. Is there a מצווה mitzvah to get drunk? Is there a מצווה mitzvah to drink? I want to clarify exactly this issue. But then more importantly, I want to get into why is there a relationship at all? We know there is. The fact that we're having the very conversation and asking the question means that there's a relationship between alcohol, wine in particular, and פורים Purim, and why should that be? We don't find that with other holidays. פסח Pesach we have of course the four cups, but there the four cups come in the context of giving a חשיבות chashivus, a sense of dignity and class to the פסח סדר Pesach Seder. We don't have the notion of intoxication or inebriation when it comes to any other holiday. In fact, Judaism abhors drunkenness. Judaism categorically rejects the concept of alcoholism, of getting drunk. It's very opposite of our religion, of our notion. Because what's Judaism all about? How do we serve השם Hashem? We serve him in our heart, but we also serve him with our head. It's about being rational. It's about intelligence. It's about common sense. It's about the intellectual capacity to understand God's world. And if we're going to dull that sense, then we dull our very humanity. We dull our very Godliness. And we forfeit our very divine nature within us, the divinity within us. So Judaism categorically rejects the concept of being intoxicated. Why should it be connected with the holiday of פורים Purim? Source number one. The גמרא Gemara in מגילה דף ז Megillah Daf Zayin says: And if you're listening on the recording, the source sheets will be on the, should be on the website as well. אמר רבא מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי Amar Rava: Michayav inish livsumei b'Puria ad d'lo yada bein arur Haman l'baruch Mordechai. We'll be singing it tonight, tomorrow, one of the great songs of פורים Purim. מיחייב איניש Michayav inish, a person is obligated to drink on פורים Purim to what extent, what's the measurement? I know the size of my סוכה sukkah, I know the sound of the שופר shofar, I know how much מצה matzah I need to eat, what's the, how do you qualify the מצווה mitzvah to drink? So the גמרא Gemara itself tells us. Until you can't tell the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai. The גמרא Gemara then goes on and gives us an interesting incident, historical episode. רבה ורב זירא עבדו סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי Rabbah v'Rav Zeira avdu seudas Purim b'haday hadadei. רבה Rabbah and רב זירא Rav Zeira, two great rabbis of the Talmud, were having the פורים סעודה Purim seudah together. איבסום Ivasum, they became intoxicated, they got drunk. קם רבה שחטיה לרב זירא Kam Rabbah, shachtei l'Rav Zeira. רבה Rabbah got up, and what did he do? He שחט shachted, he killed רב זירא Rav Zeira. למחר בעי רחמי ואחייה L'machar ba'ei rachamei v'achyei. The next day רבה Rabbah prayed for mercy on רב זירא Rav Zeira's behalf and miraculously revived him, תחיית המתים techiyas hameisim, he came back to life. לשנה אמר ליה L'shana, amar lei, so the next year רבה Rabbah said to רב זירא Rav Zeira, ניתי מר וניעביד סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי Neisei mar v'neiveid seudas Purim b'haday hadadei. You know, we always have the פורים סעודה Purim seudah together, I assume you're coming. אמר ליה Amar lei, said רב זירא Rav Zeira, לא בכל שעתא ושעתא מתרחש ניסא Lo b'chol sha'ata v'sha'ata mitracheish nisa. Are you out of your mind? You killed me last year. It took a miracle to revive me. הצלה Hatzalah came, they had to work on me, they brought me back to life. Are you out of your mind? I think I'll find somewhere else to go for my פורים סעודה Purim seudah. So the first thing is, what does it mean? He killed him? The next day למחר l'machar? We we don't have any incident in medical history of a person being dead for a day and they resuscitate him a day later. So what does it mean? He killed him and they brought him back a day later and he said, you kidding? I can't rely on a miracle. So the מהרש\"א Maharsha makes an interesting comment here, רב איידלס Rav Eidels, source two. דבר תמוה הוא לפרשו כפשוטו Davar tamua hu l'farshei k'pshutei. He says it's difficult to understand to be taken literally. דנראה דרצונו לומר כעין שחטיה, דאגב ריח חמרא דכפייה לשתות יותר מדאי עד שחלה ונטה למות D'nirei d'rasono lomar k'ein shachtei, d'agav reiach chamra d'kfei l'ishto yoseir midai, ad shechala, v'natalamus. It doesn't mean he literally שחט shachted him, he killed him, he took a knife to his throat. Where does one שחט shecht? At the throat. So the throat, the image of the throat is a metaphor. It means that רבה Rabbah as often happens with alcohol, coerced רב זירא Rav Zeira to drink. Come on רב זירא Rav Zeira, everybody's doing it, everybody's having a little something. Just have a לחיים l'chaim with me. Have another shot. Can you keep up with me? רבה Rabbah exerted peer pressure on רב זירא Rav Zeira to drink. And says the מהרש\"א Maharsha, that peer pressure to drink is equivalent to murder. If one provides peer pressure and pushes someone to drink and pushes someone to drink beyond the limits, ונטה למות v'nota lamus and it's life threatening, it's the equivalent of killing them. ולכך נקטיה בלשון שחיטה, דשתיית יין נקרא על שם הגרון במקום שחיטה, כמה שכתוב מלא גרונם שתסמכם יין U'l'kach naktei b'lashon sh'chita, d'sh'tias yain nikra al shem hagaron b'makom sh'chita, k'ma shekasuv maley garonam shatasamcham yain. וקאמר דהתפלל עליו שלא ימות מחולי זה עד שנתרפא V'ka'amar d'ispallel alav shelo yamus mei'choli zeh, ad she'nisrapei. So the next day he was still hungover. He had far surpassed the limit of alcohol. And רבה Rabbah דאווען davened for רב זירא Rav Zeira, he was in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, alcohol overintoxication. And what happened? וחיה v'cha, he was healed and he lived. מצינו במקרא ובתלמוד לשון חיים מן לשון רפואה Matzinu b'mekra u'v'Talmud lashon chaim min lashon refuah. To live means he was healed. So says the מהרש\"א Maharsha it doesn't mean that he died and was brought back to life. It means he was on the blink of death. Unfortunately and tragically, how often do we hear on פורים Purim and שמחת תורה Simchas Torah, ambulances being called, teenagers being rushed to the hospital for overdrinking. So רבה Rabbah pressured רב זירא Rav Zeira, he drank too much, he almost died. רב זירא Rav Zeira דאווען davened, he came back to life and he said, 'Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll have my פורים סעודה Purim seudah elsewhere.' That's all we have in the entire Talmud of the notion of drinking on פורים Purim. What could one glean from here? רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim and many others, the ר\"ן Ran, the מאירי Meiri, and the ריב\"ם Rivam, look in source two, the ר\"ן Ran quotes the רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim. מההוא עובדא דקם רבה ושחטיה לרב זירא כדאיתא בגמרא, אדחי ליה מימרא דרבא דלא שפירא דמי למעבד כי האי גוונא Meiha'hu uvda d'kam Rabbah d'v'shachtei l'Rav Zeira k'deisi b'Gemara, idchilei meimra d'Rava d'lo shafira dami l'me'evad kidei hachi. Says רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, look at the order of the Talmud. The גמרא Gemara quotes רבא Rava and says there's an obligation to drink on פורים Purim. How much? Until you can't tell the difference between המן Haman and מרדכי Mordechai. Then the גמרא Gemara tells a story of the consequences. What happens if you drink too much? Says רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, why did the גמרא Gemara tell us in this order? To teach us something very simple. That don't drink on פורים Purim. רבא Rava's order, the מצווה mitzvah to drink on פורים Purim was rescinded based on the episode of רבה Rabbah and רב זירא Rav Zeira. So the ר\"ן Ran quotes רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, one of the ראשונים Rishonim, who says there is no מצווה mitzvah. רבא Rava's statement is rescinded. It's cancelled. Why? Because look what happens when one drinks too much. Look at the consequences of drinking. The מאירי Meiri says the same thing. כבר פירשו קצת הגאונים שממה שהזכיר אחריו קם רבה ושחטיה לרב זירא, נדחו כל אותן הדברים Kvar peirshu ktzas ha'geonim she'mi'mah she'hizkir acharav kam Rabbah v'shachtei l'Rav Zeira, nidchu kol oso hadvarim. By telling us this story, the episode, the anecdote of רבה Rabbah and רב זירא Rav Zeira, it was the גמרא Gemara's way of saying רבא Rava's rule is off. Don't drink. Is it mentioned anywhere in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch? Oh, we'll get to it in a moment. We'll get to it in a moment. So that's the approach of רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, the ריב\"ם Rivam, the ר\"ן Ran, the מאירי Meiri, from the fact that the גמרא Gemara gives it in the order that it does, it teaches that רבא Rava's charge to drink on פורים Purim no longer applies. Look at the risk, look at the consequences, stay away. That's a handful of the ראשונים Rishonim. Other ראשונים Rishonim disagree. The פרי חדש Pri Chadash in source five quotes others. אין זה נכון. דאם כן, אמאי השתמט רב זירא למזל לסעודה הדדי Ein ze nachon. D'im kein, amai ishtamit Rav Zeira l'meizal l'seudah hadadei. He says, if that year they learned not to drink because of look at the consequences, then the next year when רבה Rabbah invited רב זירא Rav Zeira, why didn't רב זירא Rav Zeira go? He had nothing to worry about. There would be no alcohol, there would be no drinking. They would just be eating a little chicken soup, a little קוגל kugel, a little קאשע ורנישקעס kasha varnishkes. It could also be deadly. That's true. That's also, that's also high risk. So why would he hesitate to go, says the פרי חדש Pri Chadash. So it must be that the מצווה mitzvah remained in force. The חתם סופר Chasam Sofer of משה סופר Moshe Sofer, also source number six, also says, what do you mean? Chronologically, when did רבא Rava live and when did רבה Rabbah live? Who lived first? Says the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, רבה Rabbah lived first. And nevertheless רבא Rava is the one who says חייב איניש לבסומי chayav inish livsumei, that a person's obligated to get drunk. So רבא Rava surely was familiar with the story of רבה Rabbah and רב זירא Rav Zeira, because רבה Rabbah lived first. And nevertheless, רבא Rava said, חייב איניש לבסומי chayav inish livsumei. So the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer rejects רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, the ריב\"ם Rivam, the ר\"ן Ran, the מאירי Meiri, because he says רבא Rava lived after רבה Rabbah and nevertheless says that you're obligated to drink. Clearly the mandate remains in force. The יד אפרים Yad Efraim, source number seven, also supports רבא Rava. But a little bit differently. He says, לכן אין לו להשתכר יותר מדאי שיתבלבל דעתו, ולא יכין בתוקף הנס כלל. וזה שכתוב חייב אדם לבסומי בפורים עד דלא ידע, הכי עד הוא ולא עד בכלל. lachen ein lo l'hishtakeir yoseir midai she'yisbalbel da'ato, v'lo yachin b'tokef hanes klal. U'zeh she'kasuv chayav adam livsumei b'Purim ad d'lo yada, hach ad hu v'lo ad b'chlal. So the יד אפרים Yad Efraim creates kind of an in-between opinion. He says, yes, רבא Rava says drink on פורים Purim, get plastered out of your mind. Then we read the story about what happens, רבה Rabbah and רב זירא Rav Zeira, you could die if you drink too much. So therefore what it means is drink, but not too much. עד דלא ידע Ad d'lo yada means until you can't tell the difference. Does עד ad mean until and including, or does עד ad mean until and stop? So the יד אפרים Yad Efraim says until means until and stop, only drink until you're a little happy, have a little bit to drink, but don't go past the line of submitting your, your sobriety. Stay conscious. Yeah, stay conscious because after all the purpose is to be cognizant of the miracle, to celebrate the miracle. דראיתי כי נכון הוא מיושב בזה מה שבסוף שמחה לעינינו עובדא דרבא ורב זירא דעבדו סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי שלאחר הוא מה תליסטרו D'raisi ki nachon hu me'yoshev b'zeh mah sh'b'sif simcha l'eineinu uvda d'Rava v'Rav Zeira, d'avdu seudas Purim b'haday hadadei she'le'achar hu mai se'listro. And he says based on this you can understand the גמרא Gemara lists the story the next year. But that doesn't preclude the מצווה mitzvah because we just adjust the מצווה mitzvah now to not drink too much. What's the הלכה halacha? How do we follow? Who's right? רבינו אפרים Rabbeinu Efraim, the ר\"ן Ran, the ריב\"ם Rivam, the מאירי Meiri, or the פרי חדש Pri Chadash, the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, the יד אפרים Yad Efraim, and others. Who's right? Is there a מצווה mitzvah to drink? Is there no מצווה mitzvah to drink? So the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch quotes in source eight, רב יוסף קארו Rav Yosef Karo, חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי Chayav inish livsumei b'Puria ad d'lo yada bein arur Haman l'baruch Mordechai. A person is obligated to drink on פורים Purim until they can't tell the difference between cursed is Haman and baruch is Mordechai. So for now it seems that there is, remains in force the מצווה mitzvah to drink. פורים Purim is associated with a מצווה mitzvah to drink. It's an obligation, have a לחיים l'chaim. How much to drink, we haven't yet seen. But there is a מצווה mitzvah to drink. Now לבסומי l'avsumei, the גמרא Gemara used the לשון lashon of לבסומי l'avsumei. רש\"י Rashi says on the גמרא Gemara, source nine, specifically להשתכר ביין l'hishtaker b'yayin. You should drink wine. Why wine? Because the miracles came about through wine. They had the festive meal, אחשוורוש Achashverosh hosted his meals to celebrate the fact that the גאולה geulah hadn't come, and then אסתר Esther holds her feast where she invites אחשוורוש Achashverosh and המן Haman, and it it repeats over and over in the מגילה Megillah that at these festive meals they would drink wine. Since it came about the miracle through wine, we celebrate specifically with wine. So there are many who are strict to fulfill this רש\"י Rashi, not to drink on פורים Purim, single malt, blended rum, whiskey, rye, bourbon, tequila, vodka. What'd I leave out? Or any of these other intoxicating substances, but only wine. Some are careful to follow רש\"י Rashi and drink wine. How far do you go to drink? רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter says the עלי שור Alei Shur, source ten, רב וואלבע Rav Wolbe quotes from רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter, היה רגיל להיות בפורים שיכור כשכרותו של לוט ממש hayah ragil l'hiyos b'Purim shikor k'shichruso shel Lot mamash. רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter would get plastered beyond. ובמצב זה היה אומר כל היום בחרב חידושים בחריפות וגאונות להפליא בכל שעה U'v'matzav zeh hayah omer kol hayom b'cherev chidusim b'charifus u'geonus l'hafli b'chol sha'as. And what did he do when he got drunk to that level? Reports the עלי שור Alei Shur, רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter would get so drunk that that entire day he was like a fountain, spewing חידושי תורה chidushei Torah, spewing דברי תורה divrei Torah, innovating new interpretations of גמרא Gemara and of ש\"ס Shas. But is that the proper thing for everyone else? If you're רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter and by drinking to that level you're going to be spewing דברי תורה divrei Torah and overflowing fountain of insights in Torah, maybe. But is that proper for everybody else? So the רמב\"ם Rambam gives us a different measure. The רמב\"ם Rambam writes in source 11, הלכות מגילה Hilchos Megillah, כיצד חובת סעודה זו? שיאכל בשר ויתקן סעודה נאה כפי אשר תמצא ידו Keitzad chovas seudah zu? She'yochal basar v'yisakein seudah na'ah k'fi asher timtza yado. Person should have פליישיג fleishig, a פליישיג סעודה fleishigic seudah, not מילכיגס milchigs, חלילה chalila, and make a beautiful meal as you can afford. ושותה יין עד שישתכר וירדם בשכרותו V'shoseh yayin ad she'yishtaker v'yeiradeim b'shichrus. How much wine? Until you כאפ א שלאף chatz a shluf, until you feel compelled to take a דרעמל drummel. You have a little bit of wine that you need a nap. If I open a nice bottle of wine at a שבת Shabbos meal on Friday night, שבת Shabbos lunch, some of you have been at my home, please God, you'll all be at my home, if you haven't been yet, and we enjoy a little wine, at some point you feel I need to בענטשן bench and get to the couch. I need to get into my bed. You have a little bit of wine. Now that's much earlier than שכרותו של לוט shichruso shel Lot. That's way before intoxication. You had a little wine, you had a לחיים l'chaim, you enjoyed a social evening with friends and now you need a nap. So the רמב\"ם Rambam says that's his measure. For the רמב\"ם Rambam that's the measure. The בית יוסף Beis Yosef source 12 quotes, כתב באורחות חיים חייב איניש לבסומי בפורים להשתכר כשכור איסור גמור, דכי אין לך עבירה גדולה מזו שהוא גורם לגילוי עריות, שפיכות דמים, וכמה עבירות. זו לא עשה, אך שישתה יותר מלימודו מעט. kasav b'orchos chaim, chayav inish livsumei b'Purim l'hishtaker k'shichrus issur gamur, d'chein ein lecha aveira gedolah m'zu, she'hu gorem l'gilui arayos, shvichas damim, v'kama aveiros. Zu lo asan, ach she'yishteh yoseir milimudo me'at. The בית יוסף Beis Yosef also quotes from the אורחות חיים Orchos Chaim of the רא\"ש Rosh, that drinking too much is not only not a מצווה mitzvah, it's a prohibition. Because what happens when a person drinks? They are susceptible to promiscuity, and to embarrassing people, and to violence, and many many עבירות aveiros, לשון הרע lashon hara. So therefore all one should do is ישתה יותר מלימודו מעט yishteh yoseir milimudo me'at. If you normally have half a glass of wine, have three quarters of a glass of wine. If you normally have no wine, have a sip of wine. Drink a little more than you normally do, but don't come close, says the אורחות חיים Orchos Chaim quoted by the בית יוסף Beis Yosef, to drinking to the point of intoxication, to the point of being drunk. The יסוד ושורש העבודה Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah source 13, a great kabbalistic work, also. אחרי כלות סעודתו ובורך ברכת המזון, יקיים גם כן דברי הגמרא, קידושין... חייב איניש לבסומי Acharei k'chlos seudaso u'boreich birkas hamazon, ye'kayem gam ken divrei Gemara, kidushin... chayav inish livsumei. Interestingly he says you fulfill this מצווה mitzvah after the meal. We normally think of you fulfill it throughout the meal. No, by the way, there's no מצווה mitzvah to drink tonight. פורים Purim night there is zero מצווה mitzvah to drink. Nobody, you cannot provide one source that you can show me that will say there's a מצווה mitzvah to drink on פורים Purim night. Any source talks about associating alcohol with פורים Purim on פורים Purim day, and it's not to be drunk throughout the entire day of פורים Purim, it's during the פורים סעודה Purim seudah. And here the יסוד ושורש העבודה Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah even says not during the פורים סעודה Purim seudah. You finish your פורים סעודה Purim seudah, you בענטשן bench, and now you drink. How? הנה דקדוק חכמי הגמרא בלשונם, צח והקדוש ואמרו לבסומי ולא אמרו חייב איניש להשתכר Hinei dikduk chachmei haGemara b'leshonam, tzach v'hakadosh v'amru l'vasumei v'lo amru chayav inish l'hishtaker. They said לבסומי l'vasumei means at have a little drink, have a לחיים l'chaim. You finish the meal, you kick back with friends, you've shared דברי תורה divrei Torah, you've sang beautiful songs, you've danced a beautiful פורים Purim dance, and now you make a לחיים l'chaim, shine, and that's what you do after the meal. But that's why they said לבסומי l'vasumei, to make a לחיים l'chaim, not להשתכר l'hishtaker. They didn't create an obligation to get drunk. גם האר\"י ז\"ל בכונת השתיה ביום זה עד הסוד, כתב בהיטב בלשון הקדוש, ולא ישתכר אלא יתבשם Gam ha'Ari zal b'kavanas ha'shtiyah b'yom zeh ad ha'sod, kasav b'heitiv b'lashon ha'kadosh, v'lo yishtaker ela yisbasem. The great אר\"י Ari, the great father, one of the great fathers of modern day קבלה Kabbalah, of mysticism, says one should drink a little, don't get drunk. גם מזה יש להוכיח על פי הפשט שאין כוונת הגמרא הקדושה שישתכר חלילה Gam mi'zos yesh l'hochayach api she'k'pshat she'ein kavanas ha'Gemara ha'kdosha she'yishtaker chalila. The גמרא Gemara could never endorse getting drunk. That is the antithesis to Jewish values, to Jewish lifestyle, to Jewish practice. And therefore he concludes, לכן יזהר אדם מאוד מאוד בשתיית משקין משכרין יותר מדאי אפילו בשמחת פורים lachen yizhar adam me'od me'od b'shtiyas mashkin mashkirin yoseir midai afilu b'simchas Purim. Great caution and great vigilance needs to be exhibited to be careful. To be careful. So we see so far that the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch codifies according to those ראשונים Rishonim who say the מצווה mitzvah to drink remains in force, we remain obligated to drink. How much? The רמב\"ם Rambam says until you need a nap. תוספות Tosfos has a different interpretation. How much do you drink? Until you can't tell the difference between המן Haman and מרדכי Mordechai. Says תוספות Tosfos, according to the ירושלמי Yerushalmi, ארור עזריש ברוך אסתר, ארור כל הרשעים ברוך כל היהודים arur Ezraish, baruch Esther, arur kol harsha'im, baruch kol hayehudim. That there's a גימטריא gematria. This is equivalent. And until you can't calculate the גימטריא gematria, the numerical value, you've had so much to drink that doing math becomes a challenge, then you've had enough. When does it become hard to do the math? Long before being drunk out of your mind. A couple glasses of wine, you need a pen and paper. When you need the pen and paper to calculate 'is ארור המן arur Haman and ברוך מרדכי baruch Mordechai', which are the equivalent numerically, is that true? To add up those numbers? When you've reached that point, that's when you've had enough. The מגן אברהם Magen Avraham writes, ויש אומרים שלא ידע לחשוב ארור המן בגימטריא ברוך מרדכי v'yeish omrim she'lo yada l'chashov arur Haman b'gematria baruch Mordechai. Right, that's the מגן אברהם Magen Avraham is is expounding on תוספות Tosfos, the גימטריא gematria. תוספות Tosfos added ארור זרש arur Zeresh, ברוך אסתר baruch Esther, ארור כל הרשעים arur kol harsha'im, ברוך כל היהודים baruch kol hayehudim. In other words, תוספות Tosfos is saying not just the difference between המן Haman and מרדכי Mordechai, but also the difference between זרש Zeresh and אסתר Esther and the רשעים resha'im and all of the יהודים yehudim, the צדיקים tzadikim. The מהרש\"א Maharsha, source 16 says, look at רש\"י Rashi and תוספות Tosfos. עוד יש לומר על פי מה שכתוב בפרק קמא דמגילה דחייב אדם לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן, עבידי רבנן דמישנן לומר דלא ידע גם אם הוא אינו מבוסם כל כך מידיעה. Od yeish lomar, api ma she'kasuv b'perek kama d'Megillah, d'chayav adam l'vasumei b'Puria ad d'lo yada bein arur Haman, avidei rabbanan d'mishanan lomar d'lo yada gam im hu einam b'vusum kol kach mi'yedea. On פורים Purim people get light-headed that they inebriated a little bit, you get light-headed from drinking a little bit that you start acting silly. So when you're at the point of acting silly that you say I can't tell the difference between המן Haman and מרדכי Mordechai, you're at enough. You don't need to be so drunk that you're lying in a pool of your own that you can't tell the difference. That's wrong, he said, the אר\"י Ari was against it, the יסוד ושורש העבודה Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah was against it. The ראשונים Rishonim were against it. It means you had enough that you're in a silly state of mind that you say, 'I don't even know the difference between המן Haman and מרדכי Mordechai.' Now something about eating, so he said the eating, maybe that's why by the way, the יסוד ושורש העבודה Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah said you finish the meal, then you start drinking because you got to have a little something in your stomach. Absolutely. Says the רמ\"א Rama, source 17. So far we saw the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch of רב יוסף קארו Rav Yosef Karo, the authority for ספרדים Sefardim, codifies that חייב איניש לבסומי chayav inish livsumei that you have to drink. What does the רמ\"א Rama say, the authority for אשכנזים Ashkenazim? Source 17. Says the רמ\"א Rama, ויש אומרים דאין צריך להשתכר V'yeish omrim d'ein tzorech l'hishtakeir. כל כך וישתה יין יותר מלימודו וישן, ומתוך שישן אינו יודע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי kol kach v'yishteh yayin yoser milimudo v'yashan, u'mitoch sheyashan eino yodea bein arur Haman l'varuch Mordechai. Who is he quoting? Right here the Mahari, but he's quoting the Rambam. The Rama of Moshe Isserles, the authority of Ashkenazic Jewry says, what does it mean to drink on Purim? Enough that you need a nap. ואחד המרבה ואחד הממעט ובלבד שיכוון לבו לשמיים V'echad hamarbeh v'echad hamam'eit u'vilvad she'yechavein libo la'shamayim. And whether you're gonna drink a lot or you're only gonna drink, you're gonna touch your lips to some wine, whether it's a lot or a little, ובלבד שיכוון לבו לשמיים u'vilvad she'yechavein libo la'shamayim, the critical thing is that you are לשם שמים l'shem shamayim. That what you're doing is not an excuse to let loose and to let go, that what you're doing is not an excuse to be frivolous, what you're doing is not an excuse to be irresponsible. The key component, the most important determinant is שיכוון לבו לשמיים she'yechavein libo la'shamayim, that you are in a position to be doing what you're doing only לשם שמים l'shem shamayim.The משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah, the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim, what does he endorse? Getting drunk as a skunk, or the Rambam, drinking and taking a nap? Source 18, the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah says, וכן ראוי לעשות v'chein ra'ui la'asos. Drinking enough until you need a nap, that is the proper measure. That's enough. That's all you need to do. That's what the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah himself endorses. The ביאור הלכה Biur Halacha, also authored by Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim, the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah, writes in his ביאור הלכה Biur Halacha in source 19, quoting the חיי אדם Chayei Adam. כיוון שכל הנס היה על ידי היין, לכן חייבו חכמים להשתכר או לפחות לשתות יין יותר מהרגלו, כדי לזכור הנס הגדול Keivan shekol hanes haya al yedei hayayin, lachein chiyvu chachamim lehishtakeir o l'fachos lishtos yayin yoser meihargelo, kedei lizkor hanes hagadol. Since the miracle came about through wine, that's why we drink wine. ואמנם היודע בעצמו שיזלזל במצוה מן המצוות V'omnam hayodea b'atzmo shey'zalzel b'mitzvah min hamitzvos. But if you know that by drinking wine, you're going to skip washing, או ברכה o bracha, you're not going to bench, ברכת המזון Birchas Hamazon. או שלא יתפלל מנחה וערבית o shelo yispaleil Mincha u'Maariv. You know how every year I hear of guys that were so drunk they passed out, they wake up the next morning, they never davened מעריב Maariv. או שינהוג קלות ראש o sheyinhog kalus rosh. They're going to speak inappropriately to people of the opposite gender. They're going to carry themselves and speak לשון הרע lashon hara, say things they shouldn't say. מוטב שלא ישתכר וכל מעשיו יהיו לשם שמים עד כאן לשונו Mutav shelo yishtaker v'chol ma'asav yihiyu l'shem shamayim, ad kan leshono. So again, you see this prevalent notion that there's no source about getting so drunk that you lack control, that you act irresponsibly, you're getting so drunk that things are out of hand. Any obligation association with drinking is within boundaries. So they drink enough that you take a nap, drink a little bit so that it's more than you normally have, but never drink to the point of losing control. Source 20, the עלי שור Alai Shor, who had quoted רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter, who indeed got drunk כשחרותו של לוט k'shichruso shel Lot, now writes, הרי אדם גדול מאוד, הבטוח בעצמו יכול להשתכר לגמרי בפורים Harei adam gadol me'od, ha'batuach b'atzmo yachol lehishtaker legamrei b'Purim. Yeah, if you're רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter, if you're an אדם גדול מאוד adam gadol me'od, if you're a great person, if you have that level of discipline, of self-control, of lifestyle, of righteousness, of virtue, you can get totally drunk. But אנחנו anachnu, says רב שלמה וולבה Rav Shlomo Wolbe, the great משגיח mashgiach, who passed away unfortunately, but was the משגיח mashgiach of the previous generation, who himself was unequivocally an אדם גדול adam gadol, but nevertheless categorized himself as בני אדם קטנים bnei adam ketanim, we who are so small, קטנים בתורתנו ועבודתנו ketanim b'Toraseinu v'avodaseinu, small in our Torah knowledge, small in our worship of Hashem, די לנו גם בפורים להתבשם יותר מלימודו, ואין צריך להשתכר כל כך dai lanu gam b'Purim l'hisbasem yoser milimudo, v'ein tzarich lehishtaker kol kach. We who are so small, we should just have a little to drink. ונתכוון לשמור על רוממות היום u'niskavein lishmor al romemus hayom, and the drinking should get us to a level of being high, of being a little bit, a little elevated, to the point that we can feel the greatness of the day, ויהפך חס ושלום היום הלא לבטלה v'yeihafech chas v'shalom hayom halo l'vatala, in God forbid not turn it into a day of silliness and a day of wastefulness.So why do we do it? What's the connection? So to summarize the first part. Is there a מצוה mitzvah to drink? Clearly there's a מצוה mitzvah that connects drinking to Purim. How do you qualify that מצוה mitzvah? Everybody qualifies it by saying, drink a little bit. The רמ\"א Rama says drink a little bit until you take a nap, and the רמ\"א Rama of משה איסרליש Moshe Isserles says that's what you should follow. And the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah, the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim says that's what you should follow. Drink enough, a glass of wine that you need a nap. Others say even if that's too much to you for you, have a sip. Half-half a glass, have a little לחיים l'chaim, touch your lips to some wine. Why? Why? We mentioned earlier, wine and a holiday, what's the connection? So the ביאור הלכה Biur Halacha, the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim says, source 21, יש לומר מפני שכל הנסים שנעשו לישראל בימי אחשוורוש היו על ידי משתה Yesh lomar mipnei shekol hanisim shena'asu l'Yisrael bimei Achashverosh hayu al yedei mishteh. כי בתחילה נטרד ושתי על ידי משתה, ובא אסתר Ki bat'chila nitrad Vashti al yedei mishteh, u'va Esther. All the miracles took place around a משתה mishteh, a festive meal with wine. Beginning with Vashti. Vashti refused to come and parade in front of Achashverosh. She was executed. In her stead, Esther was appointed queen. וכן ענין המן ומפלתו היה על ידי משתה V'chein inyan Haman u'mapalato haya al yedei mishteh. Esther held these festive meals and it was there that she revealed her identity to Achashverosh, it was Haman's downfall. ולכן חייבו חכמים להשתכר עד כדי שיזכר הנס הגדול בשתיית היין, מכל מקום כל זה למצוה ולא לעכב V'lachein chiyvu chachamim lehishtakeir ad kedei sheyizacher hanes hagadol b'shtiyas hayayin. Mikol makom kol zeh l'mitzvah v'lo l'akeiv. So that's why we have a concept, that's the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim. חפץ חיים's Chofetz Chaim's suggestion of what's the connection between Purim and alcohol and drinking is, the miracles took place around a festive meal. We therefore exhibit, we therefore emulate a festive meal to commemorate those miracles. We do it by eating delicious קרעפלאך kreplach, and המן טאשן hamentashen, and by having a לחיים l'chaim on a little bit of wine. That's his reason. But I want to share with you three more reasons.Rabbi Blau, source 22, בית יצחק Beis Yitzchak are the journals that Yeshiva University produces every year, produces a volume of חידושי תורה chidushei Torah. This is an article by Rabbi Blau. Says, כראתי בשם רב שלמה זלמן אוירבך karasi b'shem Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, he read in the name of רב שלמה זלמן Rav Shlomo Zalman, שאף שכל דיני פורים ישארו לימות המשיח, מהפסוק וימי הפורים האלה לא יעברו מתוך היהודים she'af shekol dinei Purim yisha'aru limos haMoshiach, mehapasuk 'u'yemei haPurim ha'eileh lo ya'avru mitoch haYehudim'. In the in the ימות המשיח yemos haMoshiach, when Moshiach comes, all the minor holidays are going to be nullified. With the exception of Purim. Purim will continue to be observed. פרט אחד ישתנה Prat echad yishtaneh. But רב שלמה זלמן אורבך Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach said there's one detail of Purim that will change. We're going to continue to observe Purim, the מגילה Megillah, recalling the story, but one thing will change. שבימות המשיח לא נצטרך לשתיית יין, ולא נקיים עד דלא ידע She'biyemos haMoshiach lo nitztarech l'shtiyas yayin, v'lo nekayem ad d'lo yada. שבזמנינו שיש צרות רבות לכלל ישראל, יש צורך בשתיה לעורר השמחה בקרבנו She'b'zmanenu she'yesh tzaros rabos l'klal Yisrael, yesh tzorech b'shtiyah l'orer hasimcha b'kirbeinu. אבל ימות המשיח שימלא הארץ דעת את ה' Aval yemos haMoshiach she'yimalei ha'aretz de'ah es Hashem, ויהיה שלום אמיתי בעולם v'yihiyeh shalom amiti ba'olam, תתקיים שמחה בלי אמצעים חיצוניים ולא נצטרך להשתכר tiskaiem simcha bli emtza'im chitzoniyim v'lo nitztarech lehishtaker. רב שלמה זלמן Rav Shlomo Zalman apparently said that why do we drink on Purim today? Because what are we going to do? We're going to sit and celebrate the story of a triumph over a Persian man who wanted to destroy us in 2012, while we are listening on TV to the words of a Persian man who wants to destroy us? How could you possibly be happy? How could you possibly celebrate? How could you possibly experience joy when you recognize that the very same threat 2,500 years later faces us? As Prime Minister Netanyahu brilliantly, subtly communicated by delivering a מגילה Megillah to the president, that there remains a Persian man who wants to kill us. So therefore, therefore, we drink. We have a לחיים l'chaim, to be able to relax a little bit, to put our worries aside and for at least a couple hours of the Purim סעודה seudah, not be thinking about Iran and Ahmadinejad, but to think about Persia thousands of years ago and the miracle of Purim. But said רב שלמה זלמן Rav Shlomo Zalman, we need that now, when we have enemies who threaten us. But בימות המשיח biyemos haMoshiach, when Moshiach comes, and it's a time of peace and tranquility and prosperity, we won't need it. And therefore this aspect of Purim will be gone. Now, if you'll say, \"makes sense stronger for drinking then.\" Well, but you don't need to drink that much to be able to set Iran aside for the couple hours. I guess it's proportional to how much Iran bothers you. If you're so disturbed that you spend the other 364 days a year so bothered by the threat of Iran, you can't stop thinking and davening and working and advocating and lobbying, then you really need to get hammered. If you barely, if Iran is an afterthought for you in your day the rest of the year, then a sip of wine should be good enough to put it on the side for the Purim סעודה seudah. Now you'll ask as he does, מדוע דוקא בפורים חייבים להשתכר ולא בשאר חגים Madua davka b'Purim chayavim lehishtaker v'lo b'sha'ar chagim? How do you celebrate חנוכה Chanukah when you think about Ahmadinejad? How do you celebrate פסח Pesach? How do you celebrate סוכות Succos? How do you celebrate? How do you celebrate on שבת Shabbos? הלא יש צרות לישראל בכל ימי השנה, לא רק בפורים Halo yesh tzaros l'Yisrael b'chol yemei hashanah, lo rak b'Purim? By תירץ'ל פשוט teretz'l pashut. שכל שמחת פורים תלויה בביטול מהצרה שבאה עלינו Shekol simchas Purim tluya b'bitul meihatzara sheba'ah aleinu. ואם כן, כיוון שעדיין יש לנו צרות נוספות בימינו V'im kein, keivan she'adayin yesh lanu tzaros nosafos b'yameinu, יש צורך בקיום עד דלא ידע yesh tzorech b'kiyum ad d'lo yada, לעזור לנו לשכוח הצרות l'azor lanu lishkoach hatzaros. מה שאין כן בשמחת יום טוב Ma she'ein kein b'simchas Yom Tov, דהוי שמחה של קירבה לקדוש ברוך הוא בשמחה של עבודת היוצר d'havi simcha shel kirvah laKadosh Baruch Hu b'simcha shel avodas hayotzer. When it comes to the שמחה simcha of פסח Pesach, of סוכות Succos, of שבועות Shavuos, we're trying to connect to Hashem, the שמחה simcha is the joy of being close to Hashem. That joy is not frustrated by the enemies who threaten us. Purim, the joy is a joy of triumphing over our enemies. That joy is frustrated when you think about the enemies and their capacity today. So that's the first suggestion. Why is alcohol connected with Purim? רב שלמה זלמן Rav Shlomo Zalman says because נבוך רחמנא ליצלן nebach, rachmana litzlan, in our status, in our state, we continue to have enemies. The only way that we can find a respite to celebrate for at least a few hours is to drink a little, to put our worries aside to focus on the past redemption. That's from רב שלמה זלמן Rav Shlomo Zalman. The מהר\"ל Maharal, רבי יהודה ליוואי Rabbi Yehuda Loewy of Prague, in his אור חדש Or Chadash, his introduction to his ספר אור חדש sefer Or Chadash, that deals with this holiday, source 23, gives us a different reason. The מהר\"ל Maharal says, very interestingly, what's the whole theme of Purim? The theme of Purim is the notion of the hidden. That God's hand is behind everything that occurs even when we can't see it explicitly. How many times is Hashem's name mentioned in the מגילה Megillah? Zero. Hashem's name is never mentioned in the מגילה Megillah. Of course, we have a tradition that every time it says the word המלך hamelech, it's a reference to the Almighty, but Hashem's name is never explicitly mentioned. And yet, and yet, you don't have to have that keen an eye to read the מגילה Megillah and see God's guiding hand through the unfolding of the episode that occurs. What seemingly are coincidences are really הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, are really the Almighty himself. Purim is a notion that even what I can't see, Hashem is there. That I shouldn't understand and take everything on the surface level, but there's so much that is going on beyond the surface that I can't observe and I can't see and I don't necessarily understand. And so says the מהר\"ל Maharal, the entire theme of Purim is the recognition, is the concession, is to concede, I don't always understand. Things are not as they seem. That's what happened in the story of Purim, and that's how we commemorate Purim. Is the recognition, is the concession, things are not always as they seem. And therefore that guides all the customs, says the מהר\"ל Maharal. Why do we dress up on Purim? Because things are not always as they seem. What's on the surface and what's beneath it are not always consistent. Why do we drink on Purim says the מהר\"ל Maharal? Because I shouldn't think that with my rational intellectual capacity, I have the ability to analyze everything and always understand everything exactly. No. There are things happening beneath the scene, beneath the surface. הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu is the one responsible behind the scenes to what's happening. So when I drink and I forfeit my own understanding and capacity to understand, I am acknowledging that הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, not only today but all the other days of the year as well, is the guiding hand and are not necessarily as I see it. So says the מהר\"ל Maharal, that's the theme of Purim. That's why it's called מגילת אסתר Megillas Esther. That's the עבודה avodah, the goal of Purim. The word מגילה Megillah comes from the word מגלה megaleh. What does מגלה megaleh mean? To reveal. The עבודה avodah of Purim is to be מגלה אסתר megaleh Esther. Esther comes from אנכי הסתר אסתיר פני Anochi haster astir panai. Hashem says I will hide my face. Esther is hiddenness. מגילת אסתר Megillas Esther, to reveal the hidden. To recognize that Hashem is really hidden in everything, and even though I don't see it, even though I don't understand it, Hashem is always hidden. How do I do that? How do I display that says the מהר\"ל Maharal? Costumes, but when I drink and I forfeit my own intellectual capacity to understand, I am saying that Hashem is the one who's really behind everything, even when I can't understand. That is the מהר\"ל's Maharal's explanation. The last explanation I want to share with you, the last interpretation comes from the רב Rav, רב סולובייצ'יק Rav Soloveitchik. And this I heard directly from the רב Rav. Now when I say I heard it directly from the רב Rav, I never had the privilege of studying with the רב Rav, I never had the privilege of meeting the רב Rav, I never had the privilege of being in the same room as the רב Rav. But we are blessed today to have the technology to be able to hear the רב Rav. You can go on, there's a website that's a collection of the רב's Rav's שיעורים shiurim, and you can listen to the רב Rav. His English is magnificent. And if you understand Yiddish, I understand that his Yiddish is unparalleled. But to listen to the רב Rav, his eloquence is is phenomenal. So I heard the רב Rav say the following. It's actually the opposite of what Rabbi Blau quoted in the name of רב שלמה זלמן אורבך Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. Said the רב Rav, the term שמחה simcha, joy, is associated with something. If you look in חומש Chumash, you always find the concept of שמחה simcha, of joy, in connection with לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, being before God. Sources 24, 25, 26, 28. Source 24: ושמחת לפני ה' אלקיך, אתה ובנך ובתך ועבדך ואמתך והלוי אשר בשעריך V'samachta lifnei Hashem Elokecha, atah u'vincha u'vitecha v'avd'cha v'amascha v'haLevi asher b'she'arecha. Where do you feel שמחה simcha? When you come to the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, when you come to the משכן Mishkan, for the עליה לרגל aliyah l'regel, לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, when you are before God, that's when you're filled with a sense of שמחה simcha. Source 25, ושמחתם לפני ה' אלקיכם שבעת ימים U'smachtem lifnei Hashem Elokeichem shivas yamim. סוכות Succos, you feel שמחה simcha where? לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, when you come to the משכן Mishkan, the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. Source 26, לפני ה' Lifnei Hashem, you eat your קרבן karban before God, and what do you do? ושמחתם בכל משלח ידכם U'smachtem b'chol mishlach yedchem. You are, when you're in front of Hashem, all you're filled with is a sense of שמחה simcha. What according to the רב Rav is the definition of שמחה simcha? The definition of שמחה simcha is the feeling one feels when one recognizes Hashem runs the world, there is meaning, there is purpose, there is order. Everything that happens to me makes sense. It's not coincidence, it's not random, it's not chance, there's a divine hand who is running the world. And when one feels לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, when one feels in the presence of the Almighty, when one feels there's a master of the universe who is in charge, and that all that he does is for good, and that my life has meaning and purpose and is not just a string of random coincidence and events, but rather it's God's guiding hand. When one feels לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, they feel a sense of שמחה simcha. That's why, by the way, אבלות aveilus is nullified for יום טוב Yom Tov. יום טוב Yom Tov there's a מצוה mitzvah of שמחה simcha because you would go to the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, you would feel in the presence of Hashem, and you'd therefore be filled with שמחה simcha. That no matter what worries and anxieties and stresses I feel when I'm at home and doing work and having the the chaos of life, when I get to the משכן Mishkan, the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, when I feel I'm before Hashem, everything makes sense. Everything will be okay. And therefore I feel שמחה simcha. But a mourner, it's absolutely incongruous and inconsistent to feel mourning and שמחה simcha at the same time. When you lose a loved one you feel where is the Almighty? Where is Hashem? How could this happen to me? And you therefore can't have those feelings at the same time, and therefore אבלות aveilus, mourning is nullified in the face of יום טוב Yom Tov, when you have to feel שמחה simcha. Says the גמרא חגיגה Gemara Chagigah, source 27, ומי איכא בכי קמי הקדוש ברוך הוא U'mi ika bechi kamei HaKadosh Baruch Hu? Is there weeping in the presence of the Almighty? אמר רב פפא אין עצבות לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא Amar Rav Papa, ein atzvus lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu. There is no sadness when you're in front of Hashem. שנאמר הוד והדר לפניו, עוז וחדוה במקומו She'ne'emar hod v'hadar lefanav, oz v'chedvah bimkomo. When you're במקומו bimkomo, when you're in front of Hashem, when you're in his place, where? The משכן Mishkan, the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, when you're in Hashem's place, you feel this incredible sense of everything will be okay. Everything is all right. Everything makes sense. Therefore, drinking is forbidden when you're in front of Hashem. Because if you have the capacity to feel שמחה simcha, if the authentic, genuine, real sense of שמחה simcha is the feeling of being before Hashem, how could you possibly turn that in for the counterfeit version of drinking? Source 28, a פסוק pasuk in ויקרא Vayikra. וידבר ה' אל אהרן לאמר Vayidaber Hashem el Aharon leimor, Hashem tells Aharon, יין ושכר אל תשת אתה ובניך אתך בבואכם אל אהל מועד ולא תמותו Yayin v'sheichar al teischt atah u'vanecha itach b'vo'achem el ohel mo'ed v'lo samusu. What happens if you introduce alcohol to the משכן Mishkan or the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash? What happens if you drink in the presence of Hashem? מיתה Misa, death. To capital punishment. Because if you have the ability to feel genuine, authentic שמחה simcha, you're not allowed to turn it in and exchange it for a counterfeit version of drinking alcohol. What does all this have to do with Purim? Said Rabbi Soloveitchik, so absolutely brilliantly. Why don't we say הלל Hallel on Purim? Why don't we say הלל Hallel on Purim? Say הלל Hallel on חנוכה Chanukah, on ראש חודש Rosh Chodesh, on יום טוב Yom Tov, why don't we say הלל Hallel on Purim? Three reasons are given the גמרא Gemara says. אמר רבי שמעון בן קרחא Amar Rabi Shimon ben Karcha. ומה יציאה מעבדות לחירות אמרינן שירה, מיציאה מיתה לחיים לא כל שכן U'mah yetziah mei'avdus l'cheirus amrinan shirah, miyetzias misa l'chayim lo kol she'ken? If the Jews who were delivered from slavery in Egypt to freedom sang a song of praise, if they went from death to life, shouldn't they all the more so sing הלל Hallel? אי הכי הלל נמי נימא Ei hachi Hallel nami neima? So we should say הלל Hallel on Purim. Why don't we say הלל Hallel on Purim? There's a beautiful וורט vort by Rav Hutner in פחד יצחק Pachad Yitzchak that we do say הלל Hallel on Purim. The מגילה Megillah is הלל Hallel. That when the miracle is revealed, you say the revealed thanks, which is הלל Hallel, but when the miracle was hidden, you say a hidden thanks, which is to read the מגילה Megillah. And that's why Rav Hutner quotes the מאירי Meiri, if you're on a desert island and you have no מגילה Megillah on Purim, you say הלל Hallel. Interesting. But that's not the גמרא Gemara doesn't give that answer. The גמרא Gemara says, why don't you say הלל Hallel? So the גמרא Gemara says, three answers. One is, we were outside of ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. The second answer is, קריאתה זו היא הלילא kriasa zu hi halaila, that reading the מגילה Megillah is the equivalent of reading הלל Hallel, with Rav Hutner's interpretation of consistent with the nature of the miracle. And the third reason is, because the third paragraph, רבא אמר Rava amar, בשלמא התם הללו עבדי ה' ולא עבדי פרעה Bishlama hasam, halelu avdei Hashem v'lo avdei Pharaoh. Yeah, when they came out of Egypt, they had the ability to say thank you to Hashem, why? Because now they were entirely servants of Hashem. They were not whatsoever under the sovereignty of a foreign nation. אבל הכא אכתי עבדי אחשוורוש אנן Aval hacha akati avdei Achashverosh anan. But we, הללו עבדי ה' halelu avdei Hashem? ולא עבדי אחשוורוש v'lo avdei Achashverosh? אכתי עבדי אחשוורוש אנן Akati avdei Achashverosh anan. We, true, we were saved in the miracle of Purim, we're still in גלות galus. We're still in the exile. We're still subject to the UN's condemnations, and the will of an American president, and the world's attempt to isolate us and delegitimize us. We don't have the freedom the Jewish people had when they left Egypt. So the third answer the גמרא Gemara gives of why we do not say הלל Hallel today on Purim is אכתי עבדי אחשוורוש אנן akati avdei Achashverosh anan. We are still slaves of Achashverosh. We remain in exile. Said the רב Rav, the following, so brilliantly. When you have the capacity to feel real שמחה simcha is when? When you have a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. That's when you can't go near wine. Because if you have the ability to feel real שמחה simcha, stay far away from the counterfeit version. But we, אכתי עבדי אחשורוש אנן akati avdei Achashverosh anan. We don't have a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. We don't have that choice. We don't have that alternative to go to a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash and feel everything's going to be okay. We don't have that ability to go to the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash and say everything's going to be all right. There's meaning, there's purpose, there's order, Hashem's running the world. We can't feel that relief of going to the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash and feeling the שמחה simcha of being לפני ה' lifnei Hashem. אכתי עבדי אחשורוש אנן Akati avdei Achashverosh anan, we're still in exile. Who's the one who said that, said the רב Rav? Who is the one who gave that answer, the third answer? Look in the bottom of page of source 29. None other than רבא Rava, the same one who said חייב איניש לבסומי chayav inish livsumei, there's an obligation to get drunk. Said Rabbi Soloveitchik, it was the very same רבא Rava who understood that we remain in exile, is the one who said that the only way to get through Purim when you think about what's happening in the world today, is to have a little something to drink. If we were able to come לפני ה' lifnei Hashem, then you could feel real שמחה simcha, then drinking would be forbidden off limits. But because we don't have that choice, we don't have that alternative, the only way to get through the fact that we remain in the exile with the challenges and the threats that we confront is חייב איניש לבסומי chayav inish livsumei, is to have a drink. Said the רב Rav, it's not a coincidence that it's the same רבא Rava who says אכתי עבדי אחשורוש אנן akati avdei Achashverosh anan and חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא chayav inish livsumei b'Purya. So what we saw is that many understand there remains a מצוה mitzvah to drink. It's qualified as to drink very little, enough to take a nap, enough to have a little לחיים l'chaim, but not to get so out of hand, said the עלי שור Alai Shor, said the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim, said the חיי אדם Chayei Adam, said the אריז\"ל Arizal, said the יסוד ושורש העבודה Yesod V'Shoresh HaAvodah, said everybody, not to drink so much that you're out of hand. It should be a day that is uplifting and that's inspiring and that's meaningful. May we once again see the triumph over our Persian enemies and live to see the גאולה שלימה במהרה בימינו. אמן geulah shleimah bimheira v'yameinu. Amen.
