[Avodah] "It is an Aveira to Get Drunk on Purim" (Reb Shmuel Kaminetsky, Shlit"a) - Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

[Yitzchok Levine]

http://www.rabbihorowitz.com/PYes/ArticleDetails.cfm?Book_ID=1266&ThisGroup_ID=238&Type=Article&SID=231


"It is an Aveira to Get Drunk on Purim" (Reb Shmuel Kaminetsky, Shlit"a)
by 
<http://www.rabbihorowitz.com/PYes/Items.cfm?SearchType=Article&ID=Author;280;Rabbi%20Yakov%20Horowitz>Rabbi 
Yakov Horowitz

2/12/10
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.

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