Drinking On Purim: Another View

Purim is associated with public drunkenness, and it would seem that getting drunk is mandated by halakha. Yet many rabbis prohibit it. Why? What is the source of this dichotomy?

 

On Purim we are supposed to drink so much that we don't know the difference between blessing Mordechai and cursing Haman.

Even so, a significant strain of rabbinic tradition has long opposed getting drunk on Purim.

Why? What is the source of this dichotomy?

It seems to me the answer to the question is found in the actual history of the Purim holiday.

The overwhelming number of scholars believe that the Purim story is a fable adopted (and adapted) from a Babylonian holiday that celebrated the beginning of Spring, a turnabout holiday much like Mardi Gras and Brazil's Carnival. Mordechai is really Marduk, a Babylonian god, and Esther is really Ishtar, a Babylonian goddess.

Jews returning from Babylonian exile may have brought the holiday with them and, in the spirit of renewed nationalism, it was Judaized. Or that Judaization could have taken place in Babylonia after the return to the Land of Israel and then made its way there later in the Second Temple period but before rabbinic Judaism took hold.

Either scenario would have left early rabbis with a wild holiday that seemed to conflict with both the demeanor and spirit of the rabbinic Judaism they espoused.

The Book of Esther, which is the telling of the fable and our guide to the holiday, was almost excluded from the Bible. But, in the end, the early rabbis chose to view the Book of Esther as holy while at the same time limiting some of the wilder aspects of the holiday.

The success of these limitations ebbed and flowed over time and by location, with some communities limiting drinking to one or two glasses of wine during the Purim meal while others consuming large amounts of "Bronfman" or "mashka" nearly nonstop during the entire holiday.

This is, I think, the reason why we have this dichotomy.

That said, one can clearly fulfil the mitzvah of drinking on Purim by having a glass or two or wine during the Purim meal.

And for those who cannot drink wine, either because of substance abuse issues or other medical issues (or simply because of a dislike for drinking alcoholic beverages), drinking grape juice suffices.

With all the inherent danger of getting drunk, from car accidents to other accidents to addiction, limiting Purim consumption to one or two glasses of wine seems to be the prudent thing to do.

Comments

[PulpitRabbi]

For a very sensible defense of Purim as the celebration of a historical salvation, see R' Yaakov Meidan's take (sorry, it's Hebrew), in the following twenty part series: http://tinyurl.com/meidan-esther . The first couple of mp3 files will amply cover the historical section.

remarkably, he agrees with Shmarya in the following point, that the rabbis did have an issue with Purim possibly becoming a rowdy, non-spiritual free for all, a matter he covers in the last couple of files. Accordingly, he says, they instituted the obligation of sending mishloach manot and giving additional alms to the poor, to make that the central theme of the holiday meal.

[Yosef Goldman]

Shmarya, Check out some of the articles on JACS's webpage about alcoholism in the Jewish community, such as: http://www.jacsweb.org/lit-rothberg.html

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

In memory of Owsley, who died yesterday, we should all do acid this year for Purim.

[Seventh Avenue]

The reason is much simpler. The Mitzva to drink on Prim is conditional on people not doing stupid things when they're drunk. If you can't control yourself when you're drunk then you can't drink. See this article:

http://www.baismedrash.com/2011/02/sobering-thoughts/

[WoolSilkCotton]

Purim has become what St. Patrick's Day used to be along the NYC parade route; an excuse for drinking until you vomit, lapse into a coma, assault someone, or be assaulted.

[Loveandlivethetorah.blogspot.com]

Study the Turei Zahav,he explains fully what
the whole issue with Drinking is,a few other commentaries on the Shulkhan Arukh also say similar things.
The Talmud also brings the story of how one sage killed another while drunk to prove that getting too drunk is not good.

[Shimon Naftalis]

Getting drunk on Purim is the issue you are supposedly addressing.It may be overdone by many.It is questioned in halacha and by many Rabbonim.
Megillas Esther and the Chag itself is not the issue .Your treatment of the issue befits the reform and conservative movements who view Yitzias mitzrayim(the Exodus)and other Biblical stories as "fables"etc.
Shimon Naftalis

[Radical Feminist]

I just wrote an article about this and the risk of alcohol poisoning on purim.
Among the risk include, coma and brain damage as well as an increase in traffic related deaths in Israel during Purim. It can be easdily argued, and has, that a greater mitzvah is self care, preservation and their care and concern for the health of others. If there are no designated drivers at a purim party because everyone is doing the "Mitzvah" of getting drunk, this does not bode well for safe roads. Can anyone at any given Purim party recognize the signs of alcohol intoxication? And if so what do you do in the event of such a situation? Many times coma or overdose looks simply like a drunk person taking a nap.

[surfer]

Does chabad agree with Shmarya on this one? This article on chabad.org says yes Purim and alcohol :)