Drinking on Purim

Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he is so intoxicated that he does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai.

The Gemara relates that Rabba and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated to the point that Rabba arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rabba asked God for mercy, and revived him. The next year, Rabba said to Rabbi Zeira: Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other. He said to him: Miracles do not happen each and every hour, and I do not want to undergo that experience again.

In the Yerushalmi, [it says] "...cursed is Zeresh, blessed is Esther" — i.e. all the evildoers are cursed and all the Jews are blessed

What is the nature of our obligation for this feast? A person should eat meat and prepare as attractive a feast as his means permit. He should drink wine until he becomes intoxicated and falls asleep in a stupor.Similarly, a person is obligated to send two portions of meat, two other cooked dishes, or two other foods to a friend, as implied by Esther 9:22, "sending portions of food one to another" - i.e., two portions to one friend. Whoever sends portions to many friends is praiseworthy. If one does not have the means to send presents of food to a friend, one should exchange one's meal with him, each one sending the other what they had prepared for the Purim feast and in this way fulfill the mitzvah of sending presents of food to one's friends.

The simple meaning of our Rabbi's words is that after one drinks, they should sleep so as not to make some sort of obstacle (G-d forbid). Nevertheless, the later rabbis z''l wrote that one should drink more than he is accustomed to in the name of doing the mitzvah. And this is correct. Also according to Hagahot Maimoni, on what is said "man is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim," in the name of the Ra'avyah z''l, this is a mitzvah in principle [?]. This is what also what the author of Knesset HaGedolah wrote in Siman 695, according the Maharil: "Fortunate is the one who fulfills these matters for their true purpose, walking humbly in their observance."

2. One is obligated to be intoxicated on Purim to the point where he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai". RAMA: Some say it is not necessary to become drunk so much, but rather to drink more than he is used to (Kol Bo), and to fall asleep, and while he sleeps he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" (Maharil).

"Cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" are equal in Gematria, but liquor easily causes errors in calculations. There are those who say it referring to a song (piyut), where, in response to one stanza you would answer "cursed is Haman" and in another "blessed is Mordecai," and it requires a clear mind not to make mistakes (see Ma'aglei Tzedek and Mateh Moshe, etc.). And one should be careful on Purim not to behave "lightheaded" but rather to be joyous in the joy of mitzvah, and careful in handwashing, ha-motzi, and birkat hamazon. See there for elaboration.

... The intention is: It is known that there is a Spark of Holiness in every klipa that gives it life, and if [this spark] withdrew from it, it would not continue to exist; it would be completely, immediately nullified.


And on this great day, when there is a great illumination, we want this spark to live on its own, by means of the illumination. But it will not quite light up the klipa. (And this is why one must get intoxicated on this day, until they don't know the difference between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai." Maybe he will err and give a blessing to the spark that is in the klipa, and it will also be blessed. But the blessing will not have the "complete intention," because if it did, it would draw out a lot and the klipa will also be blessed). {Others: And therefore one must say "blessed is Haman," to also send light to that spark. And therefore one must say it with a different intention, that they are drunk and already removed from his intellect. For if they had proper intention, they would, G-d forbid, send light also to the klipa}.

"Until he does not know" is the language of "knowledge" (da'at) and "recognition" (hakara) to show how understanding (bina), in the heart, is a matter that cannot be gasped with the eyes—only the wisdom that is in the heart reaches its Source. And pur is the language of dice, which teaches about bina. And this is why "one is obligated [to become intoxicated] until he does not know." Behold, without knowledge and recognition, and only with the understanding that is in the heart, one can know that Haman is cursed and Morechai is blessed. This is also [the explanation for] the custom of changing clothes on Purim—to teach that even without recognizing the clothes, all the common people will see that the name of G-d is read into us, and they will recognize the Jewish soul.

One is obligated to delight in the illumination of Purim, so that they will say "we do not have any knowledge in the world." Not between bad things, which is the principle of "cursed is Haman," and good things, which is the principle of "blessed is Mordechai." That is, everything is good and there is no badness at all in the world. And this is [the meaning of] "until he does not know"— that is, every single thing, even though they seem bad, has only a good intention and nothing at all bad, because everything is from from the Blessed Creator, who is the King of the Good.