"Only One Who is Lucid Can Drink Wine on Purim”

THE DAILY CHIZZUK OF OUR REBBE RAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A – “THE MOMENT THAT 70 YEARS IS COMPLETED, BABYLONIA WILL FALL AND THE TEMPLE WILL BE REBUILT”

These are his holy words:

“SO SAYS HASHEM TO HIS ANOINTED, TO CYRUS” (YESHAYA 45:1).  CYRUS IS CALLED ANOINTED (MASHIACH/MESSIAH).  SO SAYS HASHEM TO HIS ANOINTED, TO CYRUS.  THEY CALL CYRUS MASHIACH.

He [Yeshaya] says the prophecy 200 years before; 200 years before the destruction, he says that in another 200 years someone by the name of Cyrus will come and he will rebuild the Temple.

Daniel says to Cyrus every day, “You will build the Temple.”  Daniel and Darius were security guards.  Darius received his kingship at the age of 62.  It’s written explicitly the ages.  Everything goes precisely with a birth certificate – the age, the birth date.

“For thus said Hashem: After seventy years for Babylonia have been complete, I will attend to you and I will fulfill for you My favorable promise, to return you to this place” (Yirmiyah 29:10).  Seventy years – the moment that seventy years is completed, Babylonia will fall and the Temple will be rebuilt.

Belshazzar suddenly sees an inscription on the wall.  A hand with five fingers comes out opposite the chandelier, opposite the lamp, and the inscription says, “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” [the prophetic inscription which appears on the wall alludes to the end of the Babylonian king.  Daniel interpreted it as a play on words – Mene – a weight of 50 or 60 shekels; Tekel – Shekel; Pharsin – half shekel… That Hashem had counted (mene) and weighed (tekel) your kingdom and found it lacking, Belshazzar, and decreed that it is to be broken up (pharsin) and will be divided between Media and Persia.]

The inscription says that Hashem has counted your kingdom – today is completed seventy years from the beginning of the kingdom of Babylonia, from the beginning of the kingdom of Nevuchadnetzar.

Nevuchadnetzar had a security guard by the name of Darius.  Now when Belshazzar is killed, he is 62 years old.  And he had another security guard by the name of Cyrus, who was his son-in-law.  He married the daughter of Darius.  Both of them guard Belshazzar.  He drinks a thousand cups of wine, a thousand, a thousand, a thousand, but he remains calm.  He doesn’t get drunk at all.

Vashti says to Achashverosh: “The guard of my father’s horses would drink a thousand cups and not get drunk; even a thousand barrels and we didn’t see any [sign] on him at all.  He remained sober, remained lucid.”

A PERSON DRINKS WINE ON PURIM – THAT HE’LL DRINK, BUT THAT HE SHOULD REMAIN LUCID – ONLY SOMEONE WHO IS LUCID CAN DRINK WINE ON PURIM.

He is lucid, a clear mind and he understands everything, understands the shiur.