Question: How does a recovering alcoholic celebrate Purim?
Purim has long had an association with drinking to dangerous excess … with the key word being “dangerous.” This comes from a famous story in the Talmud (Megillah 7b) about Purim which is often unfortunately only remembered for its opening. It begins:
Rava said: A person is obligated to become drunk on Purim to the extent that they don’t know the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “blessed be Mordechai.”
This is the source text for drinking to excess, ad d’lo yada, meaning “to the extent that you don’t know.” But lest you think the Talmud speaks with one voice, an anecdote follows that describes the consequences of drinking to excess. The text continues:
Rabba and Rabbi Zeira held a Purim feast with each other. They became drunk, and Rabba rose and stabbed to death Rabbi Zeira. The next day, Rabba prayed for mercy and Rabbi Zeira came back to life. The following year, Rabba said to Rabbi Zeira, “Let us hold a Purim feast together again this year.” Rabbi Zeira said, “Miracles don’t happen twice.”
The second half of the story warns about the dangers that come with drunkenness and alcohol — dangers including death and violence, and also expressing the regret a person might hold after drinking to excess.
I want to say very clearly: There is no mitzvah to drink on Purim. There is a mitzvah to celebrate, there is a mitzvah to read the Megillah, there is a mitzvah to give to the poor and to friends, but there is no mitzvah to become drunk. The core story in which this custom is established is not, if read properly, a very clear endorsement of the practice. The story itself seems to be a warning against drinking.
A person in recovery from alcoholism should not drink on Purim. What’s more, synagogue and communal Purim celebrations should not contribute to problems of alcoholism in our community by promoting drinking to excess.
Jews often carry a stereotype that “alcoholism doesn’t happen in our communities.” This isn’t true, and is a particularly dangerous stereotype, because it actually increases stigma and decreases the chances for people to get help. The organization JACS (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others) is here to help.
I’ll close with one last statement from Maimonides, who writes, in the Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah, 2:17, “It is preferable for a person to be more liberal with his donations to the poor than to be lavish in his preparation of the Purim feast or in sending portions to his friends. For there is no greater and more splendid happiness than to gladden the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the strangers.” This inspiring text is brought here to remind us that there are greater things than raucous celebration; and perhaps one way we can all contribute to a truly celebratory Purim is to help the poor.
Rabbi Eric Woodward is the rabbi of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel in New Haven, Connecticut.
