RABBI CHAIM HILLEL RASKIN ROV – KFAR CHABAD BEIS
By Merkaz Anash
How to Drink?
The Gemara says that “A person must become intoxicated on Purim until he can’t differentiate between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai.”1 Although the Torah generally discourages drunkenness since it often leads to misconduct, Purim is an exception, since the miracle of Purim was a result of two drinking feasts.2
There are three approaches amongst the poskim regarding the binding requirement of this statement: (1) It is a halachic requirement.3 (2) It is a voluntary mitzva.4 (3) There isn’t even a mitzva to drink so much, only to drink a little during the seuda.
Poskim accept that although it is a mitzva to drink and be merry,5 one is not required to become intoxicated. As the poskim explain, the mitzvah is not to have empty fun, but to arouse a joy of advancement in the service of Hashem,6 and they apply the saying of Chazal, “Whether one does more or less, so long as his intent if for the sake of Heaven.”7
(Some poskim offer alternative methods to keep the spirit of the Gemara’s statement without becoming drunk, such as drinking until one falls asleep8 or that one cannot work out the similar gematriyos of those two statements.9)
In any case, one must ensure that his drinking does not impair his fulfillment of mitzvos (mincha, birkas hamazon, maariv), cause him to behave coarsely, or affect his driving.10 The Rebbe highlighted multiple times that the limitations which he placed on drinking apply on Purim as well, especially for bochurim.11
At the Purim farbrengen, the Rebbe would often encourage a volunteer to drink excessively on behalf of everyone present. The Rebbe explained that this was not a halachic fulfillment (in which case one person couldn’t perform it for others), but a way of inspiring joy among everyone else.12
Though women are obligated in all the mitzvos of the day, they are not required to drink.13 Likewise, a person who due to his health cannot drink is not required to do so.
my opinion is that it hsould really be drinking a little, just enough that one feels out of his “normal zone”, and which takes one out of yishuv hada’as – therefore one cannot be yode’ah the difference – is enough. if it is enough. if you need to question yourself, you’re there. if you’re sure you’re ok, you surely drank too much!
No, it does NOT make you a chosid to drink. This is a myth that has to be busted. Maybe in Russia in frigid temperatures and hard work a little more was ok sometimes. But never does drinking make you a chosid. Learning and doing chasidus, does.
anything that makes you drunk. If it’s wine ok. If it’s mashke, du bust a chossid!
Does it have to be wine or can it be vodka or whiskey?