As part of the OU’s Safe Schools, Safe Shuls, Safe Homes Initiative, OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb once again has issued the annual call for parents to alert their children to the dangers of drinking on Purim.
Rabbi Weinreb declared, “As in past years, I again urge every member of the Jewish community to be especially cautious about alcohol consumption this coming Purim day. Previously, I have pointed to the variety of halachic sources which warn against drunkenness, even on Purim. In our time, when alcohol abuse in our community, especially among our youth, has reached troublesome proportions, and when we hear so many stories of the tragic results of Purim drinking, it is important to reiterate strong words of caution. Although the message is out, there are still many who resist hearing it. Purim is a time for fun and celebration, not for drunkenness and its tragic consequences.”
Rabbi Weinreb noted further, “The fundamental rationale of our opposition to alcohol consumption by teenagers on Purim is the fact that drinking often leads, especially among youngsters, to serious medical consequences. These considerations of health and pikuach nefesh (the saving of lives) easily transcend whatever mitzvah might be involved in drinking on Purim. Secondly, and very important, is the fact that it is against the law for an adult to knowingly provide alcohol to individuals who are under age.”
Just as with the holiday of Simchat Torah, Purim can allow some people – especially teenagers – the license to drink alcohol with abandon. Not so for many NCSY members.
Josh Halpern, for example, an NCSY member from the Atlantic Seaboard Region and student at Stern Hebrew High School, in Bala Cynwyd, PA, commented, “Teenage drinking inevitably yields tragedy, and must therefore come to an end.”
Rabbi Steven Burg, International Director of NCSY, declared, “Thankfully, many of our NCSY members and other teens have heeded warnings against the dangers of drinking. They agree with us that zero tolerance will still permit an enjoyable Purim. However, too many still remain either unaware or unconvinced of the great risk alcohol intake on Purim poses. Once again, NCSY firmly upholds its campaign and maintains its commitment against teen drinking on Purim.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
8 Responses
Thank you Rabbi Weinreb and OU for caring and alerting the public about the problem of the younger crowd drinking on Purim Day. May we all have a healthy and sober Purim.
Just don’t touch it. Just stay away from it. There is no need at all to touch alcohol on Purim.
Purim has been turned from a pleasant day into a horrible day which I fear and on which I am afraid of walking outside on the street, being scared by firecrackers which could also have been gunshots, being harassed by drunk American bochurim, seeing vomiting and shouting youth all around, huge traffic jams and accidents…
Actually, thinking of it, I’d rather skip Purim, this year. If I had the option of skipping Purim the way it has become, I would take it.
It is nice of Rabbi Weinreb to urge teens not to drink, but unfortunately I think he is overlooking the human psyche involved. You can’t expect someone over Bar Mitzva (who has been told and reemphasized tO, that he is now a man and fully obligated in mitzvot) to all of a sudden become a child again when it comes to this mitzva. There is a concept of Pas BiSalo.
I think it would be better to come out with a statement similar to the following.
“There is ABSOLUTELY **NO** obligation to drink if you are worried of transgressing any halacha or are worried about possible medical repercussions. Furthermore, alcoholic intake should be limited to ONLY TWO cups maximum of WINE ONLY. Adults SHOULD NOT offer alcohol to any minors that were not invited to their seudah.”
This type of statement does the following:
1. Those kids that really would prefer NOT drinking, but feel guilty thinking they are not following halacha will be comforted by a decision to refrain.
2. Those that non-the-less want to drink regardless of warning will have some guidelines at least to drink responsibly. (Those that want to drink w/o restrictions will do so regardless. There’s little you can do for them unfortunately.)
3. Adults are many time unwittingly guilty of being an accomplice. They either think to themselves, “It’s Purim” w/o considering the consequences or they don’t consider that the boys that pop by have probably popped by half a dozen other houses where they were served a cup or two of alcohol. That adds up and can literally turn out that a kid drank 10 – 20 cups of alcohol by the end of the day! Each adult should carefully determine whether a minor is sober or not and in truth, if he drank already he’s already fulfilled his obligations, so what are you tying to do, Hidur Mitzva?
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT ANYONE WHO INTENDS TO DRINK AND DOES NOT DESIGNATE A DESIGNATED DRIVER **PRIOR** TO DRINKING IS SURELY OVER “TISHMOR ES NAFSHOSEIHEM”!!!!!!
What about the adults who get carried away with their drinking?
manishma – The halacha is clear. Anyone who will violate even the smallest halacha by drinking is PROHIBITED!
Is it just me?? What happened to ad dlo yoda????
Hey guys, lighten up and say lichaim its Purim.
DRINK dont DRIVE -:)
I think the OU would do more good, by lobbying on behalf of the Jewish Community, then involving itself in personal matters
To #7: If, R”L, a Frum Bochur is hospitalized for alcohol poisoning, gets into a car accident, and/or makes a Chillul Hashem, it affects all of us to one degree or another. Looked at that way, this campaign IS a form of lobbying on behalf of the Jewish Community.