(For the riddles, see back page of the booklet)
1) Rav Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomah Vol. 2, 19:25) rules that the son is obligated to obey his father's request not to get drunk. Instead, he should fulfill the mitzvah by drinking more than he is accustomed to drink and going to sleep, in accordance with the opinion of the Rema (Orach Chaim 695:2).
2) The piyut is not necessarily a proof that women also have the mitzvah of getting drunk on Purim. We could explain the piyut to mean, when men get drunk and women see them acting the way they do, it brings simcha to the women as well, however, women themselves have no mitzvah.
In Orchos Rabbeinu (Vol. 3, Inyonei Purim 97) it’s brought down from the Steipler that women should drink a little bit of wine.
The Shevet HaLevi (10:18:2) was asked if women are included in the mitzvah of the day of getting drunk, and he answers: “There is no question whatsoever, Chazal are very particular against women drinking wine, see Kesubos 65a and Even HaEzer siman 70, certainly there is no mitzvah of getting drunk to the stage of ad delo yoda. See also the Meiri, who writes that lots of wine is not good for a woman.”
R’ Moshe Sternbuch (Moadim U’Zemanim 1:190) also writes very clearly, that for women there is no mitzvah to drink on Purim.
The Shu”t Mishnas Yosef (695) brings a nice remez [hint]. The pasuk writes: ומאמר אסתר קיים דברי הפרים האלה. The pasuk in the Megillah which talks about how Esther told all the women about the mitzvah of Purim is written without a “vav. The Mishnas Yosef writes, this is to show us, that when the women were told about Purim, they were told about mishlo’ach manos and simchas Purim, but they weren’t told to get drunk, as it’s forbidden for women to get drunk.
3) Rav Shlomah Alkabetz (Manos HaLevi) answers that because the three days of fasting overlapped with the beginning of Pesach, Esther specifically wanted to emphasize that they should not even eat matzah or drink the four cups of wine at the Seder, which they might have thought should override the fast. Alternatively, the Me’am Loez explains that normally, the primary focus of a fast is not the fast itself, but the prayer and repentance that it inspires. In Esther’s case, the fast was intended to atone for the fact that they ate at Achashveirosh’s party, in which case it was not a means but an end, which she alluded to by stating that this will be a fast for the purpose of not eating or drinking.
4) The Chida (Birkay Yosef, Even HaEzer 17:1) cites proof from a Yerushalmi that if somebody dies and is resurrected prior to burial, he is still legally married to his wife. The Ben Yehoyada (Megillah 7b) notes that the Gemara (Shabbos 88b) teaches that at the time of the giving of the Torah, all of the Jews' souls left them when they heard Hashem speak and He had to bring them back to life, yet we don't find that the entire nation remarried their spouses, in which case Rav Zeira would also still be married to his wife. However, the Avnei Nezer (Shu”t 56) and Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (Ha’aros Al Kiddushin 13b) disagree and maintain that Rav Zeira was no longer legally married due to his death.
5) Some say, that if an adam choshuv [important person] accepts mishlo’ach manos from someone, his acceptance is equivalent to giving, therefore, he fulfills his chiyuv of mishlo’ach manos without actually giving. (Piskei Teshuva 140).
6) The Shibolay HaLeket (Purim 200) writes: “During Megillah the tzibbur read the pasukim of “Ish Yehudi”, “Layehudim”, “Ki Mordechai” together aloud in unison. This is neither a chiyuv or a minhag, rather it is done to bring simcha to the children. Moreover, when they see this change, they will ask what it’s all about, and it will serve as a springboard to talk about the incredible miracles Hashem constantly does for us...”
7) The Shulchan Aruch (688:8) rules: If a ben ir was on a boat or travelling and he never had in his possession a Megillah, and on the 15th he comes across a Megillah, he should read Megillah on the 15th.
8) There are at least two answers: 1) If the Megillah is written in a foreign language, and a person understands the language, if he reads it himself he is yoitza, if, however his friend who doesn’t understand the language reads it, then even if he listens and understands it, he isn’t yoitza (See Mishnah Berurah 690:32-33). 2) A cheresh who is able to talk, but is unable to hear (see Biur Halachah 689:2).
9) The Minchas Chinuch (Mitzvah 362:9) writes, that if we say, גגין ועליות לא נתקדשו גם בירושלים – that the rooms and upper floors were never sanctified even if Yerusholayim, then it would seem that the same thing would be with is with oray chomah [walled cities], and there as well, the roofs and upper floors won’t be sanctified, and the dinim of botei oray chomah [special laws that apply to wall cities] such as shlichuy metzorah [the sending out of one who has tzora’as] won’t apply. The Minchas Chinuch continues: וגם לענין קריאת מגילה אפשר להסתפק בגגין ועליות – “In regards to the mitzvah of reading Megillah as well, there is also room for doubt as to what is with the roofs and upper floors”. Meaning, it could be that the roofs and upper floors in walled cites don’t have the special kedusha of botei oray choma and they should read Megillah on the 14th. If so, it comes out that if there are two neighbors living in the same building in Yerusholayim or another walled city one on the top floor and one on the bottom, the bottom reads Megillah on the 15th, and his neighbor on top reads on the 14th.
The Minchas Yochid asks on the Minchas Chinuch, that there is a din of כל הסמוך ונראה דנדון ככרך – “that if one is near a town that reads on the 15th and one can see it, he has the same din as that place and he reads on the 15th”, surely, the person on the top floor is near and can see the neighbor below, so surely he should also read on the 15th?
R’ Dov Landau shlita answers, that the Minchas Chinuch is talking about the roofs and upper floors of a town which is a sofek oray chomah [cities which have a doubt if they have been surrounded with a well from the days of Yehoshua bin Nun], and in such a case the din is that places that are הסמוך ונראה - “are nearby and can see” read on the 14th (see Biur Halachah 688, d.h. Oi, however, the Chazon Ish argues). If the roofs and upper floors aren’t sanctified, the neighbor on the ground floor reads due to doubt on the 15th, however, the neighbor on the top floor just reads on the 14th.
10) The Shulchan Aruch (692:1) writes: “When one reads the Megillah he should recite before he reads three berachos, Al Mikra Megillah, She’osah Nissim, and Shehechayanu. During the day however, Shehechayanu shouldn’t be recited”. The Rema argues and says “Shehechayanu is said in the day as well”. It would seem that if a Sephardi is hearing Megillah from an Ashkenazi who is going to recite the berachah of Shehechayanu, he shouldn’t answer Amen, as for him it would be considered an interruption. R’ Yitzchok Zilberstein suggests, that if the ba’al koreh knows that the Sephardi is going to answer Amen, it would seem that the ba’al koreh should recite Shehechayanu before the other berachos, like we do on a new fruit, to avoid causing the Sephardi to make an interruption.
11) The Sha’ar HaTziyon (695:12) cites the Kol-Bo who says that one shouldn’t eat meat on Purim night, in order that people don’t get mistaken and think that this is the main seudah of Purim. However, this custom depends on time and place.
It would seem that when Purim falls on motzei Shabbos, it would be ok to eat meat, as the meat is clearly coming for melaveh malkah, like the Mishnah Berurah (300:1) writes, that ideally one should eat meat for melaveh malkah. Therefore, even those who normally refrain, when Purim is motzei Shabbos it would be allowed. However, if all year round one doesn’t eat meat, then presumably on motzei Shabbos which is Purim, he should also be stringent. (R’ Yitzchok Zilberstein)
12) R’ Yitzchok Zilberstein in Chashukei Chemed on Megillah brings down three cases:
1) R’ Shach once said over a story that happened with the head of a community who brought a nice mishlo’ach manos to the Even HaEzel. The head of the community brought R’ Issar Zalman a fat healthy milk producing cow, which was very profitable for the owner. R’ Issar Zalman accepted it. Then on chol hamo’ed Pesach, the head of the community came and asked R’ Issar Zalman if he could help arrange that his relative become a shochet in Slutzk. When R’ Issar Zalman heard this, he immediately went and returned the cow, as he understood it was given as shochad [a bribe]. It seems that if one gives mishlo’ach manos for shochad, he doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah of mishlo’ach manos as it was given for purposes of shochad not for mishlo’ach manos.
2) The Shu”t Kesav Sofer (141) writes, if the recipient doesn’t know who sent the mishlo’ach manos, the sender isn’t yoitza. However, the Piskei Teshuvah (148) is not so sure about this.
3) The Aruch HaShulchan (695:16) writes: “If one sends mishlo’ach manos to Shimon, and Shimon isn’t at home, if he is in town and will return home that day, then the sender fulfills his duty. If however, the recipient isn’t in town, and he won’t return that day, the sender doesn’t fulfill his duty. Even if his wife or family is at home, and they accept it on his behalf it doesn’t help as משלוח מנות איש לרעהו, it has to reach the hand of the friend, or at least that he knows about it”.
4) We can perhaps add another case. The Mishneh Halachos (4:90) discusses what happens if one sends mishloa’ach manos to someone who is extremely drunk, to the level he is exempt from mitzvos. The Mishneh Halachos writes that it could be that if he will been in such a state until the end of Purim, the sender is not yoitza his chiyuv mishlo’ach manos.
5) I also saw brought down from Rav Shalom Cohen zt”l, that if the recipient will be sleeping until the end of Purim, the sender is not yoitza his chiyuv. Unless, under pressing circumstances.
13) There was once a story with a certain rov who complained to the Satmer Rebbe, that he received mishlo’ach manos from a child dressed up as a monkey. The Satmer Rebbe replied, don’t be so upset, if you would receive mishlo’ach manos from a real monkey it would also be ok. The rov replied, “Really?” The Satmer Rebbe said “Yes, it’s a clear Chasam Sofer”. The rov looked for the Chasam Sofer and couldn’t find it. The Rebbe then told him that it’s in Gittin (22b, d.h V’Ho Lav). There the Chasam Sofer writes: “When the Torah says that one should do a mitzvah in person, however, one decides to use a shliach [agent], then there is dinim of shlichus and the shliach has to carry out the mitzvah. However, when the Torah says, that one should send a shliach, כגון משלוח מנות זה סגי אפילו ע"י קוף וכל הפסולים – “such as mishlo’ach manos, then one can even use a monkey, and all the people that are normally disqualified from being used”.
14) The Shulchan Aruch (429:1) writes: “We start asking about Hilchos Pesach, from thirty days before Pesach” The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 2) writes: “And we start from the day of Purim itself”.
A Riddle for Shabbos Zachor
Before doing a mitzvah, we customarily recite a berachah thanking Hashem for commanding us regarding that specific mitzvah. Why is no such berachah recited before fulfilling the mitzvah de’O’raisa (Devorim 25:17) to remember what Amalek did to our ancestors by recounting the event from a sefer Torah once annually?
The Shu”t Maharam Shick (Orach Chaim 336) answers that Hashem does not rejoice over the downfall of His creations, even when they are wicked, so it is inappropriate to bless him for the mitzvah of remembering what Amalek did to our ancestors, which includes our obligation to destroy them.
The Shu”t Ginzei Yosef explains that Amalek came to attack the Jews as punishment for the fact that they weakened themselves from the Torah and the mitzvos (Sanhedrin 106a). Just as no berachah is recited when fulfilling the mitzvah of returning a stolen object because it is a mitzvah that only came about through a sin (Shu"t Rashba 1:18), so too no blessing is said when remembering the actions of Amalek, which were a response to our sins.
