D'var Torah

Adar Sheni 5765

JEWS AND BOOZE

For some time now, many have seen parallels between Purim and Mardi Gras. Purim follows the fast of Esther; Mardi Gras precedes the penitential period of Lent. Both Purim and Mardi Gras come as end of the year celebrations. Purim falls in the last month of the Hebrew calendar almost exactly one month before Passover; Mardi Gras is always 40 days before Easter, from the medieval period fixed as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, the beginning of new growth and the celebration of a new agricultural year. Mardi Gras are boisterous singing and dancing, riotous celebration, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Purim is characterized by boisterous noise, celebration in the synagogue and by the so-called requirement to consume significant amounts of alcohol. There are those who take it as a mitzvah to get tanked on Purim. If anything, however, Purim is a polemic against excessive drinking.

It is as a result of an extended drinking party that Esther comes to become queen; it is at a drinking party hosted by Esther for the king and Haman, that Haman commits an act of lèse majesté, throwing himself into the lap of Esther, much to the consternation of a flustered king. While poor choices by the king ultimately result in the rescue of Jews from the hand of an archenemy, Purim is an observance that asks us to recognize the precarious nature of Jewish life in Diaspora. As much as we relish the festivities that celebrate our physical survival, we know all too well, that such might not have been the reality.

Conveniently, there are those who cite a section of the Talmud that it is a mitzvah to become drunk on Purim. What they neglect to add is that there is a follow up to the requirement that puts alcoholic consumption on Purim into its proper perspective:

Rava said: It is a mitzvah to drink until he cannot tell the difference between “Cursed be Haman” and “Blessed be Mordecai.” [the two phrases have the same numeric value in Gematria, 502]. Rabbah and Rabbi Zera got together for a Purim feast. They became drunk, and Rabbah stood up and cut Rabbi Zera's throat. On the next day he prayed for his recovery and revived him. The next year Rabbi Zera asked Rabbah to join him once again for Purim. Rabbah replied, “A miracle does not take place on every occasion” [Megillah 7b].

Not quite an overwhelming endorsement of drinking to excess on Purim (or any other occasion for that matter). As Jews we add wine to our celebrations as a way of adding to our joy. We also recognize that wine can cloud judgment and seriously impair judgment. Celebrate, rejoice, and enjoy Purim. Have a seudat Purim, a special Purim meal, along with wine for you and your family members to mark the rescues of the Jewish people from its enemies. Drink responsibly to ensure that you can celebrate Purim for many more years to come. L’Hayyim!

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