The Words of Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l in Regard to the Mitzvah of Becoming Intoxicated on Purim
R’ Gershon Edelstein zt”l would always say: Firstly, the obligation to get drunk is in the day and not during the night. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 695:1) already writes: סעודת פורים שעשאה בלילה לא יצא ידי חובתו – “If one eats his Purim seudah at night, he doesn’t fulfill his obligation.” Purim night, is not a time of seudah, and although the Rema does writes that during the night: ישמח וירבה קצת בסעודה – “one should rejoice and increase in feasting,” that means to eat something which brings joy, however, it doesn’t mean to drink and to get drunk at night.
Even in regard to drinking during the day, if drinking leads to involvement in unruly and foolish merrymaking (שכרות והוללות), it is a very serious matter! It is known that the gedolei oilam, such as Rebbi Yisrael Salanter and other tzadikim, when they would get drunk would speak profound words of Torah, words of chochmah and chasidus, however, we never heard about them that they would get drunk and act frivolously. We never saw this by the Chazon Ish; Brisker Rav; Rav Issar Zalman; the Steipler and other gedolei hador. Even the gedolim of our times didn’t get drunk like this on Purim
They simply drank a little more than usual in order to doze off and fall asleep, and fulfill the mitzvah of “ad deloi yoda” with sleeping like the Rema brings: שאין צריך להשתכר כל כך אלא ישתה יותר מלימודו ויישן ומתוך שישן אינו יודע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי - “Some say that one need not become intoxicated to such an extent (“until he cannot differentiate...”), rather, he must drink more than his norm and fall asleep, for once he is sleeping, he cannot differentiate between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai’.” The Mishnah Berurah brings from the Pri Megadim: שכן ראוי לעשות – “that it is fitting to follow this approach.”
However, drinking for the sake of drunkenness just shows a lust for drinking. When a person is drunk, he is not a human being, but rather an animal, and he speaks nonsense. For the most part, those who get too drunk regret it afterwards. Although there are exceptions who do not regret it, generally someone who is of sound mind regrets it and asks people about what he said, as he doesn’t remember what he said when he was drunk.
There are those who when they get drunk, נכנס יין יצא סוד – “wine enters and secrets come out,” and they begin to weep about their level of Torah, and in their drunken state they arouse a love for Torah. However, if one is not on such a level, then when getting drunk he turns from a human being into an animal, and by gedolei Yisrael we never saw such a thing even on Purim, and like the Gemara says (Berachos 30a): לא חזינן לרבנן קשישי דעבדי הכי - “we never saw rabbonim doing this,” therefore, doing so in not the way of the Torah and is considered perikas oyl [throwing off the yoke].
There is no heter for perikas oyl on Purim or for bitul Torah, only that which is necessary for simchas Purim for himself and his family, in order to create a jolly matzav and good spirit in the house. A matzav of simcha shel mitzvah like the Rambam (Hilchos Yom Tov 6:20) describes: שמחה שיש בה עבודת יוצר הכל- “simcha which has in it the serving of the Ribbono Shel Olam”, i.e. avodas Hashem with simcha, and to be happy with the mitzvos of the day, however, סתם שכרות אינה שמחה אלא הוללות- mere drunkenness is not joy but is rather foolishness.
