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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 21:40:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Getting Drunk on Purim

In Bais Medrash Volume 2 Number 17 Jerrey Weiss answers noam:
<  <  Yes,you are to get so drunk that you can't tell Mordechi from Haman...>  >

But according to the Rambam, Laws of Purim 2:15 one should drink until one
becomes sleepy and doses off.  (The idea being that when one is asleep one
cannot tell the difference between cursed Haman and Blessed Mordechai.)

Why did the Rambam dissent from the obvious literal interpretation of the
Gmarrah. Undoubtedly the Rambam did this because if one is so drunk that
one does not know the difference between "curse haman and bless mordechai"
 then the person is legally no different than a minor (Cf Rambam Sales
29:18) and hence is not fully responsible for his actions.

Thus the Rambam logically argued that the Torah could not possibly have
wanted to place a person in a state where they weren't responsible. Hence
the Rambams explanation.

Russell Jay Hendel; RHendel@Towson.Edu
Moderator Rashi is Simple, http://www.shamash.org/rashi/

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