אמר רבא מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי. רבה ורבי זירא עבדו סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי איבסום קם רבה שחטיה לרבי זירא למחר בעי רחמי ואחייה לשנה אמר ליה ניתי מר ונעביד סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי אמר ליה לא בכל שעתא ושעתא מתרחיש ניסא.
Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he is so intoxicated that he does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai.
The Gemara relates that Rabba and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated to the point that Rabba arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rabba asked God for mercy, and revived him. The next year, Rabba said to Rabbi Zeira: Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other. He said to him: Miracles do not happen each and every hour, and I do not want to undergo that experience again.
L'ibsumi -- this means to become intoxicated with wine.
How could it be that Rabba killed someone?
מהרש"א
דבר תמוה הוא לפרשיו כפשטי'ה ונראה דר"ל כעין שחטי'ה דאגברי'ה חמרא וכפיי'ה לשתות יותר מדאי עד שחלה ונטה למות.
Maharsha
We cannot understand this literally, rather, what the gemora means to say with the word slaugther is that the the wine overcame [R. Zeira] and [Rabba] was forcing him to drink excessively to the point that he nearly died.
Even according to Maharsha, how could it be that Rava conducted himself in sucha a way that he caused harm ("he nearly died") to Rav Zeira?
Also, how does this fit with the conclusion of the story, that "The next day, Rabba asked God for mercy, and revived him."
נלע"ד דאמרי' בשבת פ' מי שהחשיך מזל שעה גורם מאן דהוה במאדי' וכו' אמר רבה אנא במאדים וכו' א"ל אביי מר נמי עניש וקטיל ע"ש
The story of Rava and Rav Zeira can be connected to the statement in the Talmud (Shabbat 156a) that:
אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, פּוּקוּ אֱמַרוּ לֵיהּ לְבַר לֵיוַאי: לֹא מַזַּל יוֹם גּוֹרֵם אֶלָּא מַזַּל שָׁעָה גּוֹרֵם....הַאי מַאן דִּבְמַאְדִּים — יְהֵי גְּבַר אָשֵׁיד דְּמָא. אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: אִי אוּמָּנָא, אִי גַּנָּבָא, אִי טַבָּחָא, אִי מָהוֹלָא. אָמַר רַבָּה: אֲנָא בְּמַאְדִּים הֲוַאי. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: מָר נָמֵי עָנֵישׁ וְקָטֵיל.
Rabbi Ḥanina said... it is the constellation of the hour that determines his nature....
One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood. Rav Ashi said: He will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a circumciser. Rabba said: I was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of those activities. Abaye said: My Master also punishes and kills as a judge.
Was Rabba doomed to commit an act of murder?
(ד) אִלּוּ הָאֵל הָיָה גּוֹזֵר עַל הָאָדָם לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע אוֹ אִלּוּ הָיָה שָׁם דָּבָר שֶׁמּוֹשֵׁךְ אֶת הָאָדָם בְּעִקַּר תּוֹלַדְתּוֹ לְדֶרֶךְ מִן הַדְּרָכִים אוֹ לְמַדָּע מִן הַמַּדָּעוֹת אוֹ לְדֵעָה מִן הַדֵּעוֹת אוֹ לְמַעֲשֶׂה מִן הַמַּעֲשִׂים כְּמוֹ שֶׁבּוֹדִים מִלִּבָּם הַטִּפְּשִׁים הֹבְרֵי שָׁמַיִם הֵיאַךְ הָיָה מְצַוֶּה לָנוּ עַל יְדֵי הַנְּבִיאִים עֲשֵׂה כָּךְ וְאַל תַּעֲשֶׂה כָּךְ הֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וְאַל תֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי רִשְׁעֲכֶם וְהוּא מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ כְּבָר נִגְזַר עָלָיו אוֹ תּוֹלַדְתּוֹ תִּמְשֹׁךְ אוֹתוֹ לְדָבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לָזוּז מִמֶּנּוּ.
(4) Were God to decree that an individual would be righteous or wicked or that there would be a quality which draws a person by his essential nature to any particular path [of behavior], way of thinking, attributes, or deeds, as imagined by many of the fools [who believe] in astrology - how could He command us through [the words of] the prophets: "Do this," "Do not do this," "Improve your behavior," or "Do not follow after your wickedness?" [According to their mistaken conception,] from the beginning of man's creation it would be decreed upon him, or his nature would draw him, to a particular quality and he could not depart from it.
...and the story gets stranger... The following year, Rabba asked Rav Zeira to make a Purim feast together... again!
Moreover, Rav Zeira declines because, "miracles don't happen every day." What can we infer from Rav Zeira's response?
וכתב הר"ן בשם רבינו אפרים דמההוא עובדא דקם רבה בסעודת פורים ושחטיה לר' זירא כדאיתא בגמרא אידחי ליה מימרא דרבא ולא ש"ד למעבד הכי כתוב בא"ח חייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא לא שישתכר שהשכרות איסור גמור ואין לך עבירה גדולה מזו שהוא גורם לג"ע וש"ד וכמה עבירות זולתן אך שישת' יותר מלימודו מעט:
The incident with Rabba and Rav Zeira contradicts the statement of Rava that one should get intoxicated [to such a great extent] on Purim!
Intoxication is totally prohibited and there is no greater transgression, for it brings to immoral sexual behavior, murder, and other sins. Rather, the meaning of this halacha is that one should drink a bit more than one is accustomed to.
How is the story of Rabba and Rav Zeira treated in halachic literature?
וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜בוּ לִפְנֵ֤י ה' אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃
וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י ה' וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י ה'׃
Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before the LORD alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them.
And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the LORD.
ותצא אש. רַ' אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר לֹא מֵתוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוֹרוּ הֲלָכָה בִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבָּן, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן נִכְנְסוּ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, תֵּדַע, שֶׁאַחַר מִיתָתָן הִזְהִיר הַנּוֹתָרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנְסוּ שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בֶן בַּיִת וְכוּ', כִּדְאִיתָא בְּוַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה:
ותצא אש AND THERE WENT OUT FIRE — Rabbi Eleizer said: the sons of Aaron died only because they gave decisions on religious matters in the presence of their teacher, Moses (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 32; Eruvin 63a). Rabbi Ishmael said: they died because they entered the Sanctuary intoxicated by wine. You may know that this is so, because after their death he admonished those who survived that they should not enter when intoxicated by wine (vv. 8—9). A parable! It may be compared to a king who had a bosom friend, etc., as is to be found in Leviticus Rabbah 12:1, 4 (cf. Biur).
נכנס יין יצא סוד
When wine enters the body, a secret emerges.
תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל ושחט אין ושחט אלא ומשך
Likewise, the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The verse states: “And he shall slaughter [veshaḥat] the young bull before the Lord” (Leviticus 1:5). The term “veshaḥat” means nothing other than: And he shall draw the knife across the neck of the animal.
ואומרו וימותו בתוספות וא''ו, רמז הכתוב הפלאת חיבת הצדיקים, שהגם שהיו מרגישים במיתתם לא נמנעו מקרוב לדביקות נעימות עריבות ידידות חביבות חשיקות מתיקות עד כלות נפשותם מהם והבן ובחינה זו אין מכיר איכותה, והיא מושללת ההכרה, לא מפי מין האנושי, ולא מפי כתבו, ולא תושג בהשערות מושכל הגשם
This is the meaning of the extra letter ו in בקרבתם לפני ה׳ ו־ימותו. The Torah alludes to the fact that though these righteous people felt that they were approaching an area which would result in this "kiss of death" they did not flinch and kept getting closer. They attained a state of religious intoxication. The desire of their souls to fuse with the divine was so overpowering that they no longer made decisions in which their powers of conscious perception were involved.