London – The Gateshead Rav, Rabbi Shraga Faivel Zimmerman, has banned yeshivah boys from drinking spirits on Purim.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
He said that they only should drink wine in moderation on the festival.
In a public notice, Rabbi Zimmerman said the dangers of alcoholic consumption had been highlighted by life-threatening incidents in recent years.
He also stated: “Alcoholic drinks and beverages must not be served to anyone already intoxicated.”
Moderation…come on, if they are not of legal age they shouldn’t been drinking alcohol at all. This should be the rule not only in the UK but everywhere at anytime.. period!
This is getting silly. No responsible rav has ever advocated anything beyond drinking with moderation. There are always a few in the lunatic fringe who bring down cites from some sefer claiming that their is a chiyuv to become totally drunk on Purim. The gadolim have always rejected these claims but every year there somehow is some nutcase who claims to the contrary. In simpler terms: Yes, it is encouraged to have a drink or two under “ad shelo yadah” but it is always ASSUR to drink excessively and pose a danger to yourself and others.
Rabbi twerski holds only grape or apple juice.
No one under 21 should drink NONE NONE NONE Over 21 only if not driving a vehcle
Many world class experts in Torah disagree with them. Since this is primarily a halachic issue we should go by the experts.
This 21 years drinking age is such bogus! It’s extremists who insist on such ridiculous restrictions who give moderation bad name.
Aren’t yeshivas the bastion of temperance and tolerance. What would they be doing at that age hitting the bottle anyhow. I never had more than 1 drink in a sitting until I got to college. Are we having the right situations for our children today or are yeshivas really not much different in their aspirations of frivolity than the public schools too? Thanks!
The Lubavitcher Rebbe has a strict limit of 4 small l’chaims. Only if your mashpia allows it may you have any more [Though if you are over 40, it doesn’t apply]. We were reminded of it during a special shiur during Tannis Esther.
Ad d’loy yadah is ONLY by the seudah. Boys get drunk purim night and before seudah which has no halachic basis except assur l’dina d’malchusa dina
If you are old enough to serve in the army or sit in kollel 24×7 and learn torah, you are old enough to drink
Smart Rabbi. It took long enough, though
The minimum age to buy alcohol in the UK is 18. Gateshead is in the UK (at least geographically).
I had a beautiful seudah courtesy of my Aishes Chayil, made 3 or 4 lechyims on some nice scotch, smoked a fine Punch cigar and then went to bed. I could genuinely not recall in my head Arror Haman vs. Blessed be Mordechai. I felt I had a very appropriate “ad lo yada” without making a public spectacle of myself. This is the way I will do it from now on, I hope, beli neder. The public drinking binge is really disgusting in my opinion. Here is a little known fact, though. In my experience, Succos/ Simchas Torah drinking is the real problem that should be addressed, as it lasts for days and many men are drunk by the end of each day of Yom tov or Chol Hamoed. It is a real problem. I can tell you that at least four men in my small shul who have had to take serious action against their alcoholism, and these are only the ones who admitted that they had a problem. I have also seen the various younger Rabbis in the shul so drunk on S”T that they are passed out…not cool. There is a real problem here, especially within Chasidishe kehilas, particularly Lubavitch.