Drinking & Praying? A Look at What the Talmud Has To Say

Is it appropriate for someone who has been drinking alcohol to pray? What do the Talmudic sages say about what to do?

מיתיבי שיכור
מקחו מקח וממכרו ממכר
עבר עבירה שיש בה מיתה ממיתין אותו מלקות מלקין אותו
כללו של דבר הרי הוא כפיקח לכל דבריו אלא שפטור מן התפלה

Eruvin 65a:2

One who is drunk: his purchase is a purchase and his sale is a sale.
If he transgressed a transgression for which he should be put to death - they kill him; for one that he should be lashed - they lash him.
Here is the general principle: he is like a normally-functioning person in all matters except that he is exempt from prayer.

עירובין ס״ה א:ד׳

אמר רבי חנינא לא שנו אלא שלא הגיע לשכרותו של לוט אבל הגיע לשכרותו של לוט פטור מכולם

Eruvin 65a:4

Rabbi Ḥanina said: "They taught this only when one has not reached Lot's intoxication, but one who has reached Lot's intoxication, they are exempt from all of them."

The tannaitic text states very clearly that one who is drunk is exempt from prayer, as does Rabbi Hanina; they have no obligation. However, the question that next arises: can one who has been drinking alcohol pray?

עירובין ס״ד א:ט׳

אמר רבה בר רב הונא
שתוי אל יתפלל ואם התפלל תפלתו תפלה
שיכור אל יתפלל ואם התפלל תפלתו תועבה

Eruvin 64a:9

Rabbah son of Rav Huna (A3) said: "One who has drunk - should not pray; and if he prayed, his prayer is a prayer.
One who is drunk should not pray; and if he prayed, his prayer is an abomination."

Rabbah son of Rav Huna decides there should be a qualification to be made amongst those who have consumed alcohol: those who have merely been drinking, versus those who have reached the point of drunkenness: if one has merely been drinking, they shouldn't pray, but it's okay if they do so. Those who are drunk are not only exempt as the previous beraita stated, but shouldn't pray and their prayer is an abomination.

What constitutes one who has been drinking and what constitutes being drunk?

עירובין ס״ד א:י׳

היכי דמי שתוי והיכי דמי שיכור כי הא דרבי אבא בר שומני ורב מנשיא בר ירמיה מגיפתי הוו קא מפטרי מהדדי אמעברא דנהר יופטי אמרו כל חד מינן לימא מילתא דלא שמיע לחבריה דאמר מרי בר רב הונא לא יפטר אדם מחבירו אלא מתוך דבר הלכה שמתוך כך זוכרו
פתח חד ואמר היכי דמי שתוי והיכי דמי שיכור שתוי כל שיכול לדבר לפני המלך שיכור כל שאינו יכול לדבר לפני המלך
פתח אידך ואמר המחזיק בנכסי הגר מה יעשה ויתקיימו בידו יקח בהן ספר תורה

Eruvin 64a:10

What is considered "having drunk" and what is considered "drunk"?
It's like that of Rabbi Abba, son of Shoomani (A6), and Rav Menashya, son of Yeermeeyah from Gifti (A6), who were departing from each other at the ford of the Yofti River, they said: "Let each one of us say something that his fellow has not heard, for Mari, son of Rav Huna, said: 'A person must take leave of his fellow only in the midst of a matter of halakha so as to remember him'."
One opened and said: "What is the consideration of one who has drunk and what is the consideration of one who is drunk?
One who has drunk is able to speak before the king.
One who is drunk is unable to speak before the king."
The other opened and said: "One who took possession of a convert’s stuff, what should he do so that it remain in his hands? He should buy a Torah scroll with them.

This text has a parallel in the Talmud Yerushalmi of not praying when drunk, but instead of a subjective measurable distinction, offers an objective measurable distinction:

תלמוד ירושלמי תרומות א׳:ד׳:ב׳-ג׳

אבא בר רב הונא אמר שתוי אל יתפלל ואם התפלל תפילתו תחנונים שיכור אל יתפלל ואם התפלל תפילתו גידופין
איזו שתוי כל ששתה רביעית
שיכור ששתה יותר
תמן אמרי כל שאינו יכול לדבר לפני המלך

Jerusalem Talmud Terumot 1:4:2-3

Abba son of Rav Huna said, “One who has been drinking should not pray; and if he prayed, his prayer is supplications.
One who is drunk should not pray; and if he prayed, his prayer is blasphemies."
Who is one who "has been drinking"? Any who has drunk a quarter-log (about 1.5 eggs-worth of volume).
Who is one who "is drunk"? Any who has drunk more than that.
There they say: "All who are unable to speak before the king."

Although not directly related to prayer, a different system of a minimum objective drinking amount to constitute "having drunk" is found in the Tosefta:

תוספתא כריתות א׳:י״ב

שתוי יין פוסל בעבודה וחייב במיתה
איזהו שתוי יין
כל ששתה רביעית יין בן ארבעים יום הימנו למעלה
שתה מגיתו יתר מרביעית פטור
שתה פחות מרביעית בן ארבע בן חמש שנים חייב בין שמזגו ובין ששתאו חצאין
רבי אליעזר אומר שתאו כולו כאחד חייב
מזגו ושתאו או שתאו חצאין פטור
רבי יהודה אומר על היין במיתה ועל המשכרין באזהרה
לפיכך אם אכל דבלה קעילית או ששתה חלב ודבש הרי זו לוקה ארבעים ועובר בלא תעשה
וכשם שאם היה כהן פסול בעבודה חייב בה מיתה
כך אם היה חכם או תלמיד חכם אסור ללמד ולהורות
רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה אומר אם היה חכם מותר ללמד.

Tosefta Keritot 1:12

One who has been drinking wine is invalid to perform service in the Temple and is obligated for death.
What is someone who "has been drinking wine"?
Any one who has drunk a quarter-log (about 1.5 eggs-worth of volume) of wine that is forty days old or older.
If he drank more than a quarter-log of wine from his winepress, he is exempt.
If he drank less than a quarter-log of wine four or five years old, he is liable, whether he mixed it and drank it in little sips.
Rabbi Eliezer says: "If he drank it in one gulp, he is liable.
If he mixed it and drank it, or drank it in little sips, he is exempt."
Rabbi Yehudah says: "Those who transgress against the prohibition of drinking wine and serving in the Temple are subject to the death-penalty. Fermented beverages are subject to warning. Therefore, if he ate a fig from K'eilah or drank milk and honey, behold, this one is struck with forty stripes and transgresses a negative commandment."
And just as, if he was a priest, he is invalid for the Temple service and liable to the death penalty, so if he was a sage or a disciple of a sage, he is prohibited from teaching or from giving instruction.
Rabbi Yose, son of Yehudah, says: "If he was a sage, he is permitted to teach."