March 2005
By Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier
Purim, celebrated in most places on the 14th of Adar, is observed on the 15th of Adar in walled cities such as Jerusalem. The fixed Jewish calendar allows Adar 14 to fall on Friday, as it does this year, but never on Shabbat. For Jerusalemites, however, this year’s coincidence of Shabbat and Purim results in a “Purim Meshulash,” a Purim whose observances are spread over a three-day weekend. Whereas the Al Hanisim prayer is recited on Shabbat, the other Purim obligations are either brought forward to Friday or postponed to Sunday.
Lest one carry his Megillah in violation of Shabbat (Rabba’s concern) or because the poor rely on weekday Megillah readings to collect funds from the assembled (Rabbi Joseph’s point), Jewish law instructs denizens of walled cities to read the Megillah this year on Friday. It follows from Rabbi Joseph’s rationale that Matanot La’evyonim, gifts to the poor, should be distributed on Friday as well.
Most authorities reschedule the Purim feast from Saturday to Sunday, so that the meal will be exclusively for Purim and not admixed with the existing festivities of Shabbat. The Magen Avraham, though, cites authorities who maintain that the Purim feast should be consumed on Shabbat. Many Jerusalemites have adopted the pleasurable stringency of feasting on Sunday, while adding a special Purim meal to Shabbat, just to play it safe.
If the purpose of sending Mishloach Manot (packages of food) is to enhance recipients’ Purim meal, it stands to reason that Jerusalemites, when Purim coincides with Shabbat, should fulfill this Mitzvah on Sunday. If, as others argue, the Mishloach Manot are given to friends to create an environment of camaraderie and good will, then why not send the packages on Shabbat, the actual day of Purim? Alternatively, concern about inadvertent violation of the Shabbat as a result of transporting these food bundles might lead one to select Friday, the day when the Megillah is read, as the right time for this mitzvah. Each of these positions has its advocates among halachic authorities.
The complex restructuring of a Shabbat-Purim derives from the Sages’ desire to preserve, in all their joy and splendor, both Shabbat and Purim. An Adar blessing: May we always grapple with the challenges that accompany a super-abundance of simcha.
Chag Purim Sameach!
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