(7) Royal wine was served in abundance, as befits a king, in golden beakers, beakers of varied design. (8) And the rule for the drinking was, “No restrictions!” For the king had given orders to every palace steward to comply with each man’s wishes.
(יז) בְּיוֹם־שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֖ר לְחֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֑ר וְנ֗וֹחַ בְּאַרְבָּעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ בּ֔וֹ וְעָשֹׂ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ י֖וֹם מִשְׁתֶּ֥ה וְשִׂמְחָֽה׃
(17) That was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar; and they rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day of feasting and merrymaking.
אמר רבא מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי
Rava said: One is obligated to become inebriated [with wine] on Purim until he cannot tell the difference between cursed be Haman and blessed be Mordecai.
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.
Maharsha (R. Shmuel Eidels, 1555–1631), in his commentary to this passage, explains that Rabba certainly didn't kill R. Zeira. Rather, he forced him to drink excessively, which made him ill. The Maharsha suggests that the unusual term “shachtei” ("slaughtered") employed by the Gemara refers to what Rabba did to Rabbi Zeira’s throat – forcing him to drink.
(טו) כֵּיצַד חוֹבַת סְעֵדָּה זוֹ. שֶׁיֹּאכַל בָּשָׂר וִיתַקֵּן סְעֵדָּה נָאָה כְּפִי אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדוֹ. וְשׁוֹתֶה יַיִן עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּכֵּר וְיֵרָדֵם בְּשִׁכְרוּתוֹ.
(15) What is the nature of our obligation for this feast? A person should eat meat and prepare as attractive a feast as his means permit. He should drink wine until he becomes intoxicated and falls asleep in his intoxication.
(ב) הגה וי"א דא"צ להשתכר כל כך אלא שישתה יותר מלימודו (כל בו) ויישן ומתוך שישן אינו יודע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי (מהרי"ל)
(2) Rama: Some say it is not necessary to become drunk so much, but rather to drink more than he is used to (Kol Bo), and to fall asleep, and while he sleeps he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" (Maharil).
Aruch Hashulchan 695:3 Rav Yechiel Michael Epstein
But why would the Talmud use the strange language of 'until he doesn't know the difference'? It should have just said, "one must drink until one falls asleep." Therefore, we should not assume the Rambam is interpreting the Talmud that way, but rather rejecting it because the story after it shows its rejection... Some believe there was a long song which ended with the words 'bless Mordechai, curse Haman', and if you drank a lot you would fall asleep by the end of the song. Some also noticed that the words are equal in numerology... Tosofot notes that the statement is so long that a person who is just a bit tipsy would err in reciting it completely. One Rabbi suggests it is just an added mitzvah, not an obligation -- but the Talmud uses the word 'chayav'! One possibility is that the Talmud is giving the limit of the possibilities in one's drinking, even to the point of 'not knowing...'. However, the Bet Yosef said in the name of the Orchot Chaim that one must become 'besumi' on Purim, not by getting drunk which causes murder, sexual impropriety etc. but rather that one should drink a bit more than their usual amount.
Rambam Laws of Purim 2:15
What is the nature of our obligation for this feast? A person should eat meat and prepare as attractive a feast as his means permit. He should drink wine until he becomes intoxicated and falls asleep in his intoxication. And similarly a a person is obligated to send two portions of meat or two types of cooked food or two types of food to his friend, as it says (Esther 9:22) "and send portions one man to another" two portions to one man.
(טו) וְיַ֤יִן ׀ יְשַׂמַּ֬ח לְֽבַב־אֱנ֗וֹשׁ לְהַצְהִ֣יל פָּנִ֣ים מִשָּׁ֑מֶן וְ֝לֶ֗חֶם לְֽבַב־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ יִסְעָֽד׃
(15) Wine that cheers the hearts of men, oil that makes the face shine, and bread that sustains man’s life.
זכה משמחו לא זכה משממו והיינו אמר רבא חמרא וריחני פקחין
If one merits, wine makes him happy [same’aḥ]; if one does not merit, it makes him confounded [shamem]. This is the same as what Rava said: Wine and good scents make me wise, meaning that wine benefits one who deserves it.
Biur Halacha Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (Chafets Chaim)
We are certainly not commanded to demean ourselves through joy, as we are not commanded to engage in a celebration of frivolity and nonsense, but rather through joy that brings about love of God and thanksgiving for the miracles He wrought for us.
Pri Tzaddik: (Rav Tzadok Hacohen)
The matter is that Haman did not believe in the holiness of the body, so God gave us a new holiday to raise up the physical. It is specifically through getting drunk to a place of no knowledge that the inner holiness of a Jew is shown.
Rav Hutner:
The entire holiday of Purim was a hidden miracle.
We are revealing the fact that even things which are not inherently holy can be holy.
Netivot Shalom:
We need to be complete with ourselves, as the goal of the day is to fight against Amalek, and this is the idea of "Chayav Inish Livsumey". When a person is immersed in the physicality, he is on the level of Arur Haman. This too, must be raised up on Purim. We have to come to a place where gashmiyus (material concern) is also an Avodat Hashem (in the service of God)!
R. Chayyim Vital writes in the name of his master, the Ari z"l, as follows:
That which our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, that a person is obligated to drink on Purim until he no longer knows the difference between "cursed Haman" and "blessed Mordekhai" – this means as follows: It is known that in every kelipa there is a spark of holiness that gives it life, and should it be removed [the kelipa] will be left with no vitality and immediately it will totally disappear. Now on this great day, when there is this great illumination, we want the vitality of this illuminated Mordekhai." For he may err and give a blessing to that spark in the kelipa, and it too will be blessed, but its blessing will not have perfect intention, for if it would have, it would receive a great deal and the kelipa would also be blessed.
R. Nachman of Breslov
This is the aspect of "A person is obligated to drink on Purim until he no longer knows the difference between 'cursed Haman' and 'blessed Mordekhai" (Megila 7b). For Purim is the primary [time] for subjugating the filth of the serpent, which is sadness, the aspect of "in sorrow shall you eat of it" (Bereishit 3:17), as stated above. At that time we must raise the joy from the depths of the kelipot… until we merit by way of the joy to achieve the aspect of the nine palaces as stated above, through which we attain the infinite light … which is the aspect of the goal of knowledge that we are on to reach this spark as well, but not that it should reach so far to illuminate the kelipa. (For this reason a person must get drunk on this day, to the point that he does not know the difference between "cursed Haman" and "blessed Mordechai", as stated above. Therefore a person is obligated to drink, that is, to get drunk on Purim for the sake of the joy, as it is written: "Wine that gladdens the heart of man" (Tehilim 104:15). And he must increase the joy until he merits by way of the drunkenness and the joy of Purim to reach the aspect of the goal of knowledge that we are not to know, which is the aspect of "until he no longer knows, etc." For the primary hold of good and evil, which is the aspect of "blessed Mordekhai" and "cursed Haman," is from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Once it happened that the first Bobover Rov Z'L* was having his tisch on the day of Purim. There was a large barrel filled with beer standing on the table. A number of the bachurim were pushing each other to get to the barrel to fill their cups with beer. The Rebbe called to one of the bachurim and asked him, 'Why are you pushing? If your fellow will come to there before you and he will be able to drink, then you will have performed the mitzvah of "Loving your fellow as yourself."' The bachor answered, 'If my fellow will go first and there will not remain enough beer for me, how can I fulfill what Chazal require of us: "A person is required to get drunk [l'basemi] on Purim?"' The Rebbe answered, 'You have answered well. However, listen to what I will tell you. Chazal did not say that you are required to get drunk [l'hishtaker] on Purim. They said you are required to "basemi" on Purim. The meaning is that a person needs to be raised up in his service of God. By fulfilling the mitzvah of "Loving your fellow as yourself" you prepare yourself, and you will be able to rise up and be exalted in Torah learning and service to God, as is fit for this holy day.'
R' Shlomo Carlbach:
A person must be drunk -- not necessarily off of alcohol, but off of PURIM!