i think the issue of whether or not to give alcohol to minors on purim should be quite open and shut. as we all know, minors, and in fact anyone has no problem getting alcohol on purim. and we all know that minors have no sense at all when it comes to such thing, and im not bashing minos, many adults have no sense either. therefore, id say you should not give alcohol to minors. they cant control themselves. they are so overwhelmed by the liberty of drinking and so enamored by it that they lose control of themselves, and will drink anything that is liquid. therefore i feel that you should never give a minor alcohol on purim, because chances are he already had some, and youre just making him stoned drunk, or if he hasnt had any, it probably means that he had enough sense not to drink himself under the table, and im sure he’s dealing with enough peer pressure as it is without the added pressure of an adult shoving alcohol in his face. someone who is 21, while he may also be obsessed with alcohol, at least has enough sense to know he shouldnt even if he does drink a lot, and therefore you can offer him alcohol, but you should only do so if he doesnt appear to be drunk yet. if he is drunk already, and you offer him alcohol, you are damaging him, and potentially others, and that should be avoided.
what i have just said goes for the day overall of purim. as for the seuda, first of all, at that point, dont offer anyone hard alcohol. theyve probably been drinking all day anyway, of theyve had something, and they really dont need it. only wine should be served. again, be vigilant as to the state of your guests. if you see that they are already drunk, dont serve them alcohol. you are only damaging them and potentially others. someone who is not drunk, or who will not get drunk by serving wine at the meal, offer them a cup. do not put the bottle in front of them. observe them. observe your guests. if you see one of your guests is getting too drunk, or out of hand, stop giving alcohol. its just common sense. we all know there is a mitzvah to drink on purim, i dont think anyone denies that, but we must be responsible. purim does not fall into the category of “eis laasos lahashem heifiru torasecha” and none of us i hope would get stone drunk during the year because we see it as wrong, therefore no one should get stone drunk on purim, because it is still wrong. as i said above, alcohol on purim can serve a tremendous purpose on purim, it can bring a person to do teshuvah, it can bring a person to better hiself, it can bring a person closer to hashem by breaking down the barriers that we have up all year round. but much like anything in this world, it also has the power to destroy if not used in moderation. of overused, if abused, it has the power to destroy lives, families, friendships, and least of all property, which even though we paskan you are not chayav for, is not advisable, seeing as even that can lead to a destruction of a friendship.
purim is a very auspicious time for us as a klal it is a time where we can really grow and become better people if we use it as it was meant to be used. but it is also a time with the potential for great destruction. ???????? ????????? ?????????? ???????????? ??????????? ?????????? ??????? ???????? ?????? ??????????:
and volvie…if they do get stoned drunk, they are wrong, and yes a rosh yeshiva can be wrong…they are wrong because it leads to people like you using them as a heter for over-drinking, and as leaders of the community they are responsible for the influence they have on people.