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Drinking Like a Mentch

Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Friedman, Rosh Yeshiva

Based on a Gemara in Megillah, the Shulchan Aruch[1] paskens that one is obligated to drink on Purim until he cannot distinguish between “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordechai.”

The Biur Halachah[2] poses the obvious question: How could Chazal institute something which the Torah and Nevi’im consider to be inappropriate, something that can easily lead to sin?

As an answer, he quotes the Eliyahu Rabbah: Since the miracles of Purim were facilitated by parties with wine, Chazal obligated us to remember these great miracles by becoming intoxicated.

It is difficult to understand this answer. The wine seems to be at most an incidental factor in the Purim story. Why is it important to commemorate that, especially considering the spiritual dangers of drinking alcohol?

Perhaps the answer lies in a deeper understanding of the neis Purim.

The central theme of the neis was hester panim. Through the Purim miracle, we saw clearly that even when it seems Hashem is nowhere to be seen, His hashgachah is still controlling everything behind the scenes. Even when externally all hope seems lost, if we can penetrate further into the essence of what’s happening, we see that everything is part of the Plan.

Klal Yisrael’s spiritual standing was not good. In fact, enjoying Achashverosh’s party was the aveirah of that generation that caused the harsh decree. But the miracle also came about through the party. V’nahafoch hu. Even when Hashem saved us, He did it in a manner of hester panim. That is why specifically Mordechai and Esther were the ones who saved Klal Yisroel: they both exemplified hester panim through the middah of tzniyus.[3]

Our avodah on Purim is to arouse the positive that is deep within Hashem’s hiddenness. Drinking is a crucial element of this. On the outside, it just looks like we’re having a party. But when we inject an inner spirit of kedushah into the seudah, there is much more going on in the penimiyus than can be seen from the outside.

Ad d’lo yada on a deeper level signifies that when the outer facade is peeled away, everything Hashem does is truly good. Everything is bringing the world to its ultimate rectification. Drinking is not about abandoning our intellect; it is to get past externalities and highlight the penimiyus dimension.

When done properly, this can be a beautiful display of love for Hashem. The Gemara in Megillah[4] contrasts “Jewish drinking” with “non-Jewish drinking.” Whereas drunken non-Jews engage in vulgar talk, when Jews drink, they launch into words of Torah and praise to Hashem.

May we be zocheh to connect to the neis Purim by experiencing the depth of the seudas Purim, and may we come to an understanding, each on our own level, that everything Hashem does is ultimately good.

[1] סי' תרצ"ה ס"ב

[2] ד"ה חייב

[3] זה נרמז בשמותיהם: "אסתר" כמשמעו – הסתר, ומרא דכיא הוא התרגום של אחד מסממני הקטורת, שעבודתו נעשתה לפני ולפנים.

[4] דף י"ב ע"ב

Not Just a History Book

Rabbi Zerachya Shicker, Shoel U'Meishiv

How long does Megillah leining take in your shul?

There are various factors that come into play, such as average age of the shul members, size of the minyan, and intoxication levels, among others.

Regardless of how fast or slow your leining of choice takes, we all hear the entire Megillah in one sitting, and that can make us forget a very important detail of the Purim story: the events of Megillas Esther happened over a decade.

Some quick highlights:

• Opening party: 3rd year of Achashverosh’s reign
• Esther taken to Achashverosh’s palace: 7th year of Achashverosh’s reign
• Haman casts lots: 12th year of Achashverosh’s reign
• Jews defeat their enemies: 13th year of Achashverosh’s reign

If you never paid attention to the dates in the Megillah before, this timeline gives you a whole new perspective.

Imagine living back then. Think of your community, your shul, your yeshiva, just transposed into ancient Persia. When Achashverosh threw his 180-day party, it was all anyone was talking about. The food, the hechsherim, the ambience, the speakers - nonstop hock.

(I think it’s safe to assume yeshivos and shuls in Persia 2,400 years ago had coffee rooms where the hock happened. OK, there may have been more Arabica blend and heavy Turkish stuff and less Taster’s Choice and espresso pods, but the general idea was probably the same.)

Fast-forward a few years. Esther is chosen as the new queen. This is the new topic of conversation, but this time people are shaking their heads and saying things like “Oy vey” and “Hashem yerachem.” Esther was taken against her will to live with a depraved and corrupt non-Jewish monarch, and everyone feels her plight.

Five years later, things take a serious turn for the worse. At Haman’s behest, Achashverosh signs an executive order sanctioning the murder of all Jews worldwide in about one year’s time. Again, this is occupying everyone’s thoughts and conversations. Parents are whispering so their children don’t hear, but the kids can sense that everything is not okay. No one knows what the future holds, and the stress is taking a toll on everyone.

I don’t need to continue, because we all know the happy ending, of course.

Why the imaginative description?

Because it makes it so much easier to see the big picture. Nothing new is happening. Just instead of Paras and Madai, Hodu and Kush, Haman and Achashverosh, satraps and royal edicts, we hear about Russia and Ukraine, China and Iran, terrorists and neo-Nazis, politicians and the UN. True, the Purim story was a decade within a 70-year galus while the current galus is getting close to 2,000 years, but the concept is the same: Hashem is running the show. Our job is to focus on Torah, mitzvos, teshuvah, and tefillah, and in that zechus, we will see the geulah.

Megillas Esther is the only sefer in Tanach that does not contain Hashem’s Name. When we read the whole thing together, it’s quite obvious Who’s pulling the strings, but without that wide lens, it’s easy to forget.

May we all experience the day when we read a new Megillah; one that we can read in one sitting and clearly perceive how Hashem was orchestrating the events of 2,000 years to usher in the Final Geulah.