NOTE: This essay is based on part of a class that I gave this week and contains more Hebrew than usual.
An aspect of Judaism that many deem problematic this time of year is the Halakhic obligation to drink on Purim. In his Minchas Asher: Sichos al ha-Moadim, Rav Asher Weiss writes that this is, in fact, a core aspect of the holiday:
ונראה, דבשני זמנים אלה מבטל האדם את עצמו אל הקב"ה, ביוה"כ מבטל הוא את גופו, וצומו ותענית ומיעוט חלבו ודמו נחשבים לו כאילו הקריב את גופו על גבי המזבח כקרבן וכעולה. ולמעלה מזה בפורים מבטל הוא את שכלו ודעתו לפני הבורא, ובכך נשגב יום הפורים מיום הכפורים שהרי לא הגוף הוא עצם האדם אלא הרוח ודעת קונו זה כל האדם!
And it seems that in these two times [Yom Kippur and Purim], a person nullifies himself before God. On Yom Kippur, he nullifies his body, and his fasting, affliction, and the reduction of his fat and blood are considered as if he offered his body upon the altar as a sacrifice and burnt offering. Beyond this, on Purim, he nullifies his intellect and knowledge before the Creator. Thus, Purim is elevated above Yom Kippur, for the essence of man is not the body but the spirit and the knowledge of his Creator; this is the entirety of man!
[To save time, all translations are from ChatGPT with edits from myself as needed unless otherwise noted.]
In other words, just as we nullify our bodies on Yom Kippur, so too do we nullify our intellect and wisdom on Purim. This nullification is, in fact, higher than that of Yom Kippur because it is our wisdom and intellect that is the core of who we are rather than our physical bodies! But what does the Shulchan Aruch actually say about this obligation?
חייב אינש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי: הגה וי"א דא"צ להשתכר כל כך אלא שישתה יותר מלימודו (כל בו) ויישן ומתוך שישן אינו יודע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי (מהרי"ל) ואחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים
One is obligated to be intoxicated on Purim to the point where he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai". RAMA: Some say it is not necessary to become drunk so much, but rather to drink more than he is used to (Kol Bo), and to fall asleep, and while he sleeps he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" (Maharil). [There is no difference on Purim] between one who has more and one who has less, as long as his heart is directed to heaven. [This translation is from Sefaria.]
While the Shulchan Aruch itself rules that one ought to drink until the point of being unable to tell Haman from Mordechai, the Rema’s gloss invokes the practice of drinking a little more than usual so as to fall asleep and, in the state of unconsciousness, not knowing the difference between Haman and Mordechai. While not many in the Orthodox community seem to have this practice, the Mishneh Berurah comments “וכן ראוי לעשות - And such should be done.”
Rav Asher Weiss, elsewhere in the same volume, provides fascinating insight into this in conversation with the obligation to give charity on Purim to all who request it:
אך דא עקא, דדוקא בשעה נשגבה זו בה נפתחים שערי שמים ויש בידינו לבקש שפע עליון והקב"ה מפציר בנו "שאל מאי דבעי," דוקא אז שיכורים אנו מיין ודעתנו מטופרת ואין בידינו לדעת מה לבקש. ומשו"ך אכן יש טעם במה שקעבו רוב גדולי הדורות דבאמת אין ראוי לו לאדם להשתכר כלוט עד שלא ידע בין ברוך מרדכי לארור הםן כפשטות לשון הגם", אלא לשתות ולשמוח בשמחת המצוה יותר מהרגלו.
אמנם לאידך גיסא נראה, דללא שתיית היין לבסומי כלל, הרי בושים אנו לבקש את כל אשר על לבבנו, וכי ראויים אנו לבא לפני המלך בלבוש שק. אך ע"י שתיית היין יש לו לאדם עזות דקדושה לבקש את נפשו בשאלתו ואת עמו בבקשתו. ועל כן יש לנו לשתות די כדי שנוכל לבקש, אך לא יותר מדי עד שלו ידע מה לבקש.
But the main point is that specifically at this elevated time, when the gates of heaven are open and we have the ability to request divine abundance, God implores us, 'Ask whatever you wish.' This is specifically when we are intoxicated, our minds are clouded, and we are unable to discern what to ask for. Therefore, it is indeed reasonable that the majority of the greats of the generations have established that it is truly not proper for a person to become intoxicated until he cannot distinguish between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordecai,' in the simple sense. Rather, [the purpose is] to drink and rejoice in the joy of the mitzvah more than one's regular state.
However, on the other hand, it seems that without the drinking of wine to the point of intoxication, we would be embarrassed to request whatever is on our hearts, and we would not feel worthy to come before the King dressed in sackcloth. But through drinking wine, a person gains the courage of holiness to request for himself and for his people. Therefore, we should drink enough to enable us to ask, but not too much so that we are unable to discern what to ask for.
Another fascinating alternative to getting drunk on Purim was recently offered by Rabbi Yona Reiss, as quoted in the new Sefer Batei Yosef on Chanukah and Purim from RIETS Press. While it is specifically about cases where one is unable to get drumk either practically or due to health concerns, there is much to learn from it:
ובמקרים כאלו כשא״א לשתות מטעם סכנה נראה שיש לקיים את הענין של חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא בעיקר על ידי הנאת יינה של תורה ממש לבסם את עצמו בריח של דברי תורה (עיין בזה בס׳ בן יהוידע על מס׳ מגילה ז:, בפירוש המעשה של רבה ורבי זירא). ובדרך זה יש להבין את מאמר חז״ל (גיטין נ״ז:) שמבני בניו של המן למדו תורה בבני ברק דהיינו שעל ידי לימוד התורה יש לקיים את המצוה של עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי בהידורה דאפילו האנשים הבאים מבית המן הרשע יכולים להשתנות ולהיות צדיקים כמו מרדכי הצדיק ע״י תלמוד תורה.
In such cases, when one cannot drink due to danger, it seems that the idea of a person becoming intoxicated on Purim can be fulfilled through enjoying the wine of Torah, literally becoming intoxicated with the fragrance of Torah teachings. Through this approach, we can understand the statement of our sages that the descendants of Haman studied Torah in Bnei Brak. Through Torah study, one could fulfill the commandment of being so intoxicated that they cannot distinguish between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordecai' - even those who come from the wicked household of Haman can change and become righteous like Mordecai through the study of Torah.
Let us have a festive and meaningful Purim, intoxicated not only by wine but by Torah and spirituality as well!
Considering your disclaimer about the use of ChatGPT for translations (great move, btw, as long as you're using ChatGPT4, which is far more accurate than 3.5), I'd like to submit a small but important critique of a translation in this article. The sentence authored by R' Yona Reiss is:
מקרים כאלו כשא״א לשתות מטעם סכנה נראה שיש לקיים את הענין של חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא בעיקר על ידי הנאת יינה של תורה ממש לבסם את עצמו בריח של דברי תורה
ChatGPT and/or you translated this as: "In such cases, when one cannot drink due to danger, it seems that the obligation of a person to become intoxicated on Purim can primarily be fulfilled through the enjoyment of Torah, literally becoming intoxicated with the fragrance of Torah teachings."
This is a(n unintentional) misrepresentation of R' Reiss's words. He did NOT write that a person can "fulfill the OBLIGATION of intoxication through learning Torah." Rather, he wrote that a person can fulfill the INYAN of the obligation of intoxication through learning Torah. Whether one translates "inyan" as "theme" or "spirit" or "idea" or in any other way, it should be made clear that this is different from fulfilling the actual halachic obligation of becoming intoxicated.
As a high school rebbi, I've seen many "pre-Purim anti-drinking assemblies" in which underage are told not to drink. I think this is a good idea. Likewise, I think it's a good idea to publicize the shitos of those who hold that there is no obligation to get drunk or that it's forbidden to get drunk. What gets me upset, though, is when a speaker misrepresents halacha itself. I've heard people say, in an unqualified manner, "There is absolutely no halacha which says that a person should get drunk on Purim." This is a falsehood. To claim that there are poskim who rule against intoxication is fine, but to claim that NOBODY holds that one should get drunk is a lie.
Likewise, if someone were to claim that learning Torah fulfills the IDEA of getting drunk on Purim, I can get on board with that. But to say that learning Torah fulfills the halachic OBLIGATION to get drunk on Purim is, in my view, an unwarranted and unprecedented innovation, reminiscent of those who think that using various forms of drugs is a fulfillment of "levasumei."
Additionally, R' Reiss wrote "שיש לקיים את הענין של חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא בעיקר על ידי הנאת יינה של תורה" that "one can fulfill the inyan of the obligation to become intoxicated on Purim primarily through the enjoyment of the WINE of Torah." The word "wine" here is critical for his interpretation, but is missing in your translation.
I assume that these mistranslations were unintentional, but if it WAS intentional, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
(I have my own theory as to why we get drunk on Purim, which but that's a discussion for another time: https://youtu.be/_WX1eADzvHI)
Actually, the gemara -- and consequently this quote in the Shulchan Arukh -- say that one should drink until one cannot distinguish between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai". Which is a much more subtle distinction then losing the ability to know whether Haman or Mordechai is the hero.
For that matter, the conclusion of the gemara is the next bit, the story of Rav Zeira's temporary death, and his unwillingness to go to Rabba's home on next year's Purim se'udah. If it weren't for all the rishonim, I would have read the gemara as concluding AGAINST the statement by Rava that one is obligated to get drunk. But what can I do? Rava's ruling is quoted in the codes verbatim. The Rama gives a good way of doing both -- losing the ability to think and yet not risking sin. (Even lesser ones than murder. Actually, thinking about it, one could be risking minyan, if the alarm clock isn't set.)