The Abuse Of Alcohol On Purim Essay - 1695 Words

1 Introduction 1.1 Hypothesis The abuse of alcohol on Purim in South Africa results in a complacent attitude towards drinking in Jewish teenagers. 1.2 Aim To determine if: the abuse of alcohol on Purim in South Africa results in a complacent attitude towards drinking in Jewish teenagers. 1.3 Significance of research I am a Jewish boy, going to a Jewish school. In my 17 years of life, I have been exposed to many of my Rabbis, friend’s parents and youth councilors getting drunk on religious occasions, especially on Purim. This has seemed to have an effect on my peers who not only get drunk on religious occasions but take every opportunity they can to have a drink. For long it has bothered me if there is a correlation between the adult’s abuse of alcohol on Purim and the complacent attitude my friends have towards the seriousness of alcohol abuse. Purim is an annual Jewish festival which commemorates the savior of the Jewish people from the wicked decrees of the Secretary General of Persia, Haman, during the first exile. There are many commandments pertaining to the day, however, the focus for this research is the commandment found in the Talmud Bavli, tractate Megilla: â€Å"a man is commanded to get drunk (on Purim) until he does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai†. Although there are some commentators who interpret this literally, most expound this to mean that you should drink more than you are used to and then sleep to fulfill the