[Avodah] time of Purim Seudah

[David Riceman]

kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
> Elly Miller, wrote back:
>   
>> We are planning on starting our seudah at 4:00pm. At 5:50pm
>> (a few minutes before plag) we will stop eating, bentsch,
>> and still have the option of drinking.
Is it still appropriate to drink after bentsching? Not if you think 
drinking is a part of the mitzvah of seudah.

>
> Let me back up and explain myself. For the sake of simplicity, let's take a person who has no minyan in town, so leaving the seudah to go to shul doesn't complicate things. He has two procedures that he is considering: His first idea is to daven mincha, have a Purim Seudah late Erev Shabbos afternoon, say Birkas Hamazon, say Kabbalas Shabbos, have Kiddush, Hamotzi, Seudas Shabbos, bench, and daven Maariv. The second idea is to daven mincha, begin a meal late Erev Shabbos afternoon, pause dirung hte meal to say Kabbalas Shabbos, make Kiddush, (I forgot how Lechem Mishneh is handled,] and then continue his meal, bench, and daven Maariv.
>
> I think most people will agree that the first idea is very b'dieved, while the second one (despite the practical problems such as were mentioned in Rav Teitz's post) is fully sanctioned, at least for Sefaradim.
>
> Why such a disparity? Does Oneg Shabbos really suffer more in the first than in the second?
>   
I think the problem here is not Oneg Shabbos but bensching in the middle 
of a meal.  Is it really appropriate to benstch when you intend to 
continue eating in a few minutes?

David Riceman