Jewish Community News

Newsbriefs: February 2008

Ask the Rabbi: What are the traditional ways in which Purim is celebrated?

By Rabbi Joshua Berkenwald, Congregation Sinai

There are four mitzvot associated with the holiday of Purim, all of which are mentioned in the Scroll of Esther itself.  First is the yearly reading of the Megillah, the letter that Mordechai and Esther composed and sent to all of the Jews in the Persian Empire after Haman’s evil plot was discovered.
The three other mitzvot of Purim are based on Esther 9:22 – “…that they should make them days of feasting and gladness (mishteh v’simchah), and of sending portions one to another (mishloach manot), and gifts to the poor (matanot la-evyonim).”  So how does one fulfill these mitzvot?

Purim Seudah – On the day of Purim, which this year falls on Friday, March 21, one should hold a festive meal of celebration with friends.
Mishloach Manot – It is customary to give gifts of food on the day of Purim.  Technically, the minimum requirement is to give two separate dishes of food to one person, but the practice has expanded greatly, so that many people prepare baskets of treats for all of their friends and acquaintances.
Matanot La-evyonim – Similarly, there is a requirement to give two gifts to two poor people.  This was originally intended to ensure that even the poorest Jews would enjoy a Purim Seudah.  One should ideally give the gifts directly to the recipients on Purim, but one can donate money instead if that is not possible.  Traditionally, money is collected in synagogues and then distributed by the Rabbi or other designee.
    Together, these four mitzvot of Purim contribute to a day of joy and unity for Jews around the world.

     I have heard that Jews are supposed to get drunk on Purim.  Is that really true?

      This oft-repeated aspect of Purim is indeed documented in Jewish sources.  Ravah, a great sage of the Talmud, teaches that “one is obligated to drink on Purim until one does not know the difference between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordechai’.”  (Megillah 7b) 
Recognizing the potential danger in such a requirement, the Talmud relates an incident in which the Purim merriment got out of hand.  Two sages, Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira, drank together during a Purim meal.  Rabbah, apparently a nasty drunk, rose up and killed his companion.  Realizing what he had done the next day, Rabbah prayed on behalf of his dead colleague, and Rabbi Zeirah was miraculously revived.  The following year, Rabbah approached his friend and said: ‘Let’s make the Purim meal together.’  Rabbi Zeirah declined, responding: ‘A miracle does not happen every time.’
     With this warning in hand, later religious authorities asked how drunk a person would have to be in order to “not know the difference between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordechai’.”  Some held that one should drink until confusing the identities of the villain and the hero of the Purim story.  Other commentators used gematria, the system of assigning numerical values to the letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet, to understood Rava’s teaching.  It so happens that arur haman (cursed be Haman) and baruch mordechai (blessed be Mordechai) have the same numerical value – 502.  One must therefore drink to the point of not being able to do the math.  Other commentators downplay the drinking altogether – suggesting that one should make jokes and say funny things until people cannot tell the difference.
   Moshe Isserles, the great Ashkenazi commentator of the sixteenth century, states that a person should drink a little bit more than usual and go to sleep – in which state that person will not be able to distinguish between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordechai’.  Isserles concludes with a statement that should motivate our own celebration of Purim this year:  “Whether a lot or a little, the important thing is that a person direct his or her heart toward Heaven.”
   Although our Sages were concerned with alcohol abuse in ancient times, it is only recently that alcoholism has been understood as an addictive disease.  During Purim celebrations, when alcohol is often readily available, synagogues should be sensitive to the pressure this places on those in our communities who struggle with addiction.