As Purim approaches, a call has been made by Gedolei Yisrael to observe the day properly, as intended, which includes avoiding spiritual disintegration or wandering out of emptiness and debauchery.
The letter is signed by HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Cohen, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Meir Wosner, HaGaon HaRav Shimon Ba’adani and HaGaon HaRav Baruch Dov Povarsky.
“The days of Purim that were set for a feast and joy are holy days,” the Gedolei Torah write. “On the other hand, the yetzer hora tries to instill that they are days of spiritual disintegration and אינשי דלא מעלי are hanging around roaming the streets out of emptiness and debauchery.
“We therefore appeal to educators and parents to prevent children of talmidei torah and talmidei yeshivos from being on the streets of Purim on the streets of the city, and to celebrate the joy of Purim only in places that are guarded against אינשי דלא מעלי.
“Not to make noise in the late hours of the night with musical instruments and the like, which is very disturbing, especially for the old and weak, and the tremendous danger that is placed on fireworks and caps, which are sakonas nefoshos and it is actually a mitzvah to take them those items which scare others away from children.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Last year, there was a letter from Gedolim that those who sell fireworks and similar “Purim shtick” should be reported to police immediately. If someone has a direct link to that letter, it would be worthwhile to post it, and for YWN to post it as a link.
Note that they make no mention about drinking as the mitzvah itself is to get very drunk.
UJM: Very creative reading of the letter from these rabbonim. My read is that if some yungerleit want to get totally drunk and barf all over their shtenders inside the beis medrash, thats fine. However, if one of those guys walks outside the beis medrash later in the evening and starts screaming or gets into a car, then he neutralized for a few days as a guest of the taxpayers. If some firecrackers create sakanas nefesh, a drunken bochur behind the wheel of a 1300 Kg vehicle is a much greater sakanah to himself and others.
As Rav Avigdor Miller said, “Ad v’lo ad bichlal”.
No such mitzvah of getting drunk!!! Mitzvah is to be BESIMCHAH Not to get DRUNK , therefore , one should drink a little wine because “yayin yesamach levav enosh”……..
It says chayav odom LIBSUMEI bepuryoh , NOT. “LISHKUREI”…
Libsumei means to be besimcha , NOT to be shikur!!!!!
UJM…please give sources for your contention that “the mitzvah itself is to get VERY drunk”