Lying About Not Knowing the Difference Between “Arur Haman” and “Baruch Mordechai”
The Gemara in Bava Metzia (23b) teaches that it is permissible for a talmid chocham to lie in three areas and one of them is בפוריא. See Rashi and Tosfos for how they understand the Gemara. However, the Maharsha explains that it is referring to Purim, and on Purim if a talmid chocham hasn’t reached the level of “ad deloi yoda”, he is allowed to lie and pretend that he is intoxicated and doesn’t know the difference between “arur Haman” and “baruch Mordechai”, and this is one of the three things that a talmid chocham is allowed to change for the sake of shalom [peace].
From the Maharsha it comes out that a talmid chocham is allowed to lie and say he drank enough to bring him to the level of “ad deloi yoda”, even though in truth he didn’t fulfil the mitzvah. However, the Nimukei Yosef (Megillah 7b) writes: לא שישתגע בשכרותו, אלא למימר מילי דבדיחותא עד דסברי אינשי דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי - "Not that one should go mad with his drunkenness, but rather that he should say jokes and trick people into thinking that he doesn’t know the difference between “arur Haman” and “baruch Mordechai”. According to the Nimukei Yosef, what the Maharsha allows a talmid chocham to do is actually the real obligation.
