Chapter 142 : Chapter 142 Laws Concerning the Sending of Gifts of Food, Gifts to the Needy and the Seudas Purim, Purim Feast

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§1

[On Purim] everyone is required to send¹Mishnah Berurah questions if the mitzvah is fulfilled if you give the gift directly to the recipient, without a messenger. (Mishnah Berurah 695:18) no less than two gifts to one person; as it is written, "And sending gifts of food to one another" (9:22); which implies two gifts to one person. The more gifts you send to your friends the more praiseworthy you are. Nevertheless, it is much better to give generously to the poor than to have a lavish feast and to send extravagant gifts to your friends; for there is no greater and more glorious joy before the Holy One, blessed is He, than to gladden the hearts of the poor, the orphans and the widows. Whoever gladdens the hearts of these unfortunates is compared to the Divine Presence, for it is said, (Isaiah 57:15) "To revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the crushed."

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§2

The term Mishlo'ach manos implies only food that is ready-to-eat without preparation [by the recipient], such as cooked meat or fish, but not if it is uncooked.²Some Poskim rule that since raw meat or chicken is ready for the pot, it is permitted. (Ibid 695:20) Candy, fruits, wine, mead,³One article of food and a beverage is sufficient for the fulfillment of the mitzvah. (Ibid) or similar [delicacies are acceptable].

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§3

Everybody, even the poorest in Yisrael, who is a recipient of charity, is required to give at least two gifts to two poor persons, that is, one gift to each person, for it is written, Matanos l'evyonim "And gifts to the poor," (9:22) [leveyonim is a plural] which implies, two gifts to two poor people. You should not be selective when giving charity on Purim; whoever holds out his hand to ask for charity should be given a donation. If you are in a community where there are no poor people, you should either keep the money until you meet needy persons, or send it to them.

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§4

Women, too, are required to send mishlo'ach manos [gifts of food] and to give gifts to the poor. Women should send mishlo'ach manos to women and men to men. But regarding donations to the poor, women may send to men, and conversely, [men may send to women]. Some women rely that their husbands give on their behalf as well, but this is not proper; rather they should be stringent about this.

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§5

It is an obligation to eat, drink and to rejoice on Purim.⁴It is proper to gather your family and friends because it is impossible to rejoice yourself. It must, however, be a joy that is in the spirit of Torah. (Ibid 695:9) Also on the night of the fourteenth you should rejoice and have a more elaborate meal [than usual]. If Purim occurs on Shabbos night, although you must have a third meal on Shabbos, you should eat a little less during the day⁵This ruling is not mentioned in Mishnah Berurah, on the contrary he writes (Ibid 695:3) “Even though you had a large meal for Shalosh Seudos, nevertheless, you should have a larger than usual meal at night.” to leave some appetite for the meal of Purim night. Nevertheless, by having a meal at night you have not fulfilled the mitzvah [of se'udas Purim, the Purim feast]; for the mitzvah if to have the main Purim feast during the daytime, for it is written, "Days of feasting." You should light candles as you do on joyous occasions and Yom Tov, even when the meal is held in the daytime. Also on the night of the fifteenth you should celebrate a little. Giving gifts to the poor and sending mishlo'ach manos to friends must be done during the daytime. Since people are busy [preparing and delivering] mishlo'ach manos, part of the Purim se'udah may extend into the night. You should pray Minchah while it is still the middle of the day, and have the se'udah after Minchah. At any rate, you should have the greater part of the se'udah while it is still day. When Purim occurs on erev Shabbos, you should have the se'udah in the morning, out of respect for Shabbos. It is commendable to devote some time to Torah study, before beginning the se'udah. This is based [on the verse] "The Jews had light," (8:16) and [our Rabbis] expound, "light" means Torah. Some authorities, say that you should eat different kinds of seeds on Purim, to commemorate the seeds Daniel and his friends ate in Babylon, and also to remember the seeds that Esther ate. For the Talmud (Maseches Megillah 16b) states, [it is written] "He favored her and her maids with preferential treatment…" (2:9) [this means], that he gave her seeds for her food. (For the laws of Al hanisim in Birkas Hamazon, see Chapter 44:16, 17.)

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§6

Since the entire miracle of Purim was brought about through wine: Vashti was banished at the wine party, and Esther took her place; also the episode of Haman's downfall came about through wine; therefore, our Rabbis of blessed memory mandated that everyone should become intoxicated with wine, and they said, "It is an obligation to become intoxicated on Purim, until you cannot tell the difference between 'Cursed be Haman' and 'Blessed be Mordechai.'" At least you should drink more than you usually do, to recall the great miracle, until you fall asleep; and once you are asleep, you can no longer tell the difference between "Cursed is Haman" and "Blessed is Mordechai." However, if a person is physically frail, and similarly, if you know that as a result of [drinking] you will, God forbid, ignore a mitzvah, a berachah, or a prayer, or that it would lead to lightheaded exuberance, it is better not to become drunk. All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven.

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§7

A mourner, even during the week of shivah is required to give gifts to the poor, and to send mishlo'ach manos to his friends. Nevertheless, he should not send anything that generates happiness. But you should not send mishlo'ach manos to a mourner the entire twelve months [of mourning],⁶This refers only to a mourner for his father or mother. Mishnah Berurah rules this applies only where it is customary not to greet a mourner during the twelve months of mourning. However, where it is the custom to greet mourners you may also send them mishlo’ach manos on Purim during the twelve months. During the first thirty days of mourning it is definitely not permitted to send them mishlo’ach manos. (Ibid 696:20, 21) [this includes] even things that do not generate joyousness. If [the mourner] is a poor person you may send him money or anything that will not produce joy. If in an area where the only residents are a mourner and one other person, he must send mishlo'ach manos to [the mourner] in order to fulfill the mitzvah of mishlo'ach manos. (For the laws of onein see Chapter 141:21 above).

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§8

You should not do any work on Purim. Whoever performs work on that day, will never see any blessing from that work. But it is permitted to have a non-Jew work for you. You are allowed to attend to business.⁷For this is a source of joy. In the case of one who must work in order to provide for his family’s needs, he too is permitted to work. (Ibid 696:2, 3) You may write even a social letter, and [make an entry of] money you owe, or [write] anything that does not require much concentration. You are certainly [permitted] to write for the sake of a mitzvah or to do any work for the purpose of a mitzvah. For the needs of Purim, you are permitted to do even full-scale labor.

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§9

The fifteenth day of Adar is called Shushan Purim. We do not say Tachanun on that day, nor Keil erech apayim nor Lamenatzei'ach. On this day it is also forbidden to deliver eulogies or to fast. It is the custom to celebrate on that day by feasting and rejoicing in moderation; but we do not say Al hanisim, and weddings may be performed because the Megillah is not read [on Shushan Purim.] However, [on Purim], when the Megillah is read which is the paramount time of joy, weddings should not be held, because we do not merge one joyous event with another.

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§10

On the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the first Adar (in a leap year), likewise, we do not say Tachanun, nor Keil erech apayim, nor Lamenatzei'ach, and it is forbidden to deliver eulogies or fast on these days, and on the fourteenth our meal should be a little more elaborate.