ATTENTION SHULS, CHABAD HOUSES, RABBIS AND PARENTS !!!
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Alcohol Consumption on Purim
ReplyDeleteStatement from the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV)
Purim is one of the most joyous festivals of the Jewish calendar. The mitzvot of charity to the poor, mishloach manot, festive meals together with family and friends, and the reading of the megillah all help to create a true Jewish spirit and an ambiance of happiness. Indeed, when these mitzvot are fulfilled in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Torah, the entire month of Adar is imbued with inspiration and a true sense of joy.
However, there is also a sombre side to Purim which is often left untold. There are unfortunately some in the community who believe that the only way to experience the joy of Purim is through the excessive consumption of alcohol. Not only is this belief unfounded, it can create a tremendous Chilul Hashem (Desecration of G-d's name) and contravenes one of the most basic mandates of the Jewish faith by endangering one's life and the lives of others.
The Rabbinical Council of Victoria wishes to therefore make it abundantly clear to all members of the Jewish community, particularly Jewish teenagers and young adults, that excessive alcohol consumption which can lead to endangering one's life or the life of others as well as the possibility of the Chilul Hashem often associated with intoxication, is unequivocally prohibited at all times according to Halacha, including on Purim. Although the Code of Jewish Law does encourage drinking wine during the festive meal of Purim in order to enhance the joy of Purim, by no means does this override the severe prohibitions of Chilul Hashem and/or placing oneself in danger, both of which are the most serious of transgressions.
As Rabbis, we urge parents and educators to communicate this message to their children and students, and most importantly to lead by example through their own responsible behavior. We strongly caution adults and youth leaders against the misguided practice of supplying alcohol to minors with the belief that this somehow constitutes the mitzvah of spreading joy during the festival of Purim.
Let us hope that the festival of Purim is celebrated this year in the manner in which our Sages had intended, according to both the letter and spirit of our holy Torah.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasman
President Rabbinical Council of Victoria
Rabbi North Eastern Jewish Centre
Phone: (03) 9816 3516 Mobile: 0425 796 628
www.nejc.com.au
It should be remembered that the student in question is an adult. The only reason this is any kind of story is the USA's ridiculous alcohol laws, which make it illegal to drink until the age of 21. Of course this law is so ridiculous that nobody in America actually respects it; certainly young adults do not respect it, and drink anyway, but whenever someone gets caught it becomes some huge moral scandal, and Americans pretend Renault-style to be "shocked, shocked, to find that underage drinking is going on in here".
ReplyDelete"It is an Aveira to Get Drunk on Purim" - Reb Shmuel Kaminetsky, Shlit"a
ReplyDeleteby Rabbi Yakov Horowitz
This was a direct quote from Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky Shlit’a who took precious time from his busy schedule and shared his da’as Torah with our listeners on Thursday night during the Project YES conference call titled, “Purim Parenting: Keeping Our Children Safe and Sober.”
I asked the Rosh Yeshiva to address this matter because many people who heard about our Purim program had asked me to clarify the words of our chazal (sages) “Chayav einish l’besumei be’puria ad deloi yoda bein arur Haman l’baruch Mordechai” which loosely translated says, that one is obligated to drink [on Purim] until he cannot discern between Haman and Mordechai.
“Chas v’shalom (Heaven forbid) that our Torah would consider getting drunk to be a mitzvah!” said Reb Shmuel. He explained that the word l’besumei is derived from the root word which means to sniff something – and said that this means that one should have only “a whiff” of drinking (wine only; he was clear to state).
The Rosh Yeshiva also shed light on the words “ad deloi yoda bein arur Haman l’baruch Mordechai” and said that when one sings verses of a song when he is in a heightened state of simcha (joy) he occasionally will sing the verses in incorrect order – meaning that he will sing the verse of Arur Haman in the place of the verse of Baruch Mordechai. It is inconceivable, he stated, that this is to be taken to condone drunkenness – which is in direct contrast to the teachings of our Torah.
There were many other important take-away messages gleaned from the words of Reb Shmuel and from those of our two other guests, Dr. Benzion Twerski and Professor Lazer Rosman, and I plan on writing them in detail next week. But I feel an obligation to disseminate the words of Reb Shmuel Shlit’a today so parents and educators can discuss them with their children over Shabbos.
This is an important discussion, one that will help us enjoy Purim in a safe and enjoyable manner
http://tinyurl.com/y9b4vr2
Milhouse wrote:
ReplyDeleteIt should be remembered that the student in question is an adult. The only reason this is any kind of story is the USA's ridiculous alcohol laws, which make it illegal to drink until the age of 21. Of course this law is so ridiculous that nobody in America actually respects it; certainly young adults do not respect it, and drink anyway, but whenever someone gets caught it becomes some huge moral scandal, and Americans pretend Renault-style to be "shocked, shocked, to find that underage drinking is going on in here".
I live in the US and I do not think that the drinking age is ridiculous. My wife and I have told our 19 year old son that we expect him to obey the law, even on Purim.
Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky's words were presumably reported by someone who was drunk at the time and got them muddled. In fact it is obligatory to get at least somewhat drunk on Purim; the only question is how much. People legally or medically forbidden to drink should ask a shaila, just as they should ask a shaila if they were forbidden to hear the megilla or perform any other mitzva associated with Purim.
ReplyDeleteTo Joe in Australia:
ReplyDeleteSorry, you are mistaken, as you will find if you look into the information presented below.
Here is a link to a summary of the teleconference: http://www.rabbihorowitz.com/PYes/ArticleDetails.cfm?Book_ID=1266&ThisGroup_ID=238&Type=Article&SID=2
Here is a link to the page from which you can download an MP3 file of the teleconference, including Reb Shmuel Kamentetsky, shlita:
http://www.rabbihorowitz.com/PYes/ArticleDetails.cfm?Book_ID=1270&ThisGroup_ID=238&Type=Article&SID=2
You may have to register to obtain access; there is no charge to register.
In addition, here is a link to a shiur given by Rabbi Mordechai Willig, shlita, a Rosh Yeshiva in RIETS (aka YU). Rabbi Willig also holds of the Rema and says that only wine may be drunk, no beer, no whiskey:
http://www.torahweb.org/audioFrameset.html#audio=rwil_021504
I cannot believe that frumme yidden would seek to overturn a practise established from the days of the Tannoim or before. Perhaps this is a malicious forgery, or an unfortunate coincidence in names between the well-known rabbis and some modern reformers.
ReplyDeleteJoe in Australia:
ReplyDeleteThe Mora D'Atra of my shul, after listening to the recording of the teleconference, spoke PERSONALLY AT LENGTH with Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, whom he has known for many years. He gave a shiur on this topic, during which he told us that Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky confirmed EVERYTHING he said during the teleconference.
You can go to the website of Rabbi Horowitz and leave a comment. Rabbi Horowitz does read comments and often responds.
If they really meant it, then there is only one thing to say: This is a chiddush much greater than the idea that a niftar can come back to be Moshiach, so let none of their followers and admirers ever again raise an eyebrow at Chabad's messianics.
ReplyDeleteMilhouse:
ReplyDeletePlease listen to Rav Willig's shiur (link above). He is following the Rema. Not a big chiddush.
I think that the people who twist our Halacha to justify public drunkenness are the ones who have been trying to make a Chiddush.
Very well then, dman. I find the no-drinking position hard to understand and inconsistent with the mainstream of Jewish practice, but as Milhouse put it:
ReplyDelete"And we must also remember that however much we disagree with [this] position, there are great talmidei chachomim and rabbonim on that side, for whom we must have respect, so we have no right to rule it out of the spectrum of legitimate interpretations of Torah. It is within the 70 panim and the eilu va'eilu, and very much still part of halachic Judaism, with legitimate and respectable leaders who work to keep it so, as evidenced once again by this proclamation."