Tzav: 5782 - When Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld z"l said of himself that he was a "Purim rabbi": Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld, with a story about his grandfather Rabbi Zonnenfeld, Rabbi of Jerusalem, at the conclusion…

00:00 Speaker 1 Rabbi Goldkane[unclear], please.

00:03 Speaker 2 Since we’re still in Purim, there’s an interesting story connected with Purim. The rabbi of Jerusalem would fulfill the obligation that “a person must become intoxicated on Purim until he cannot distinguish”—quite literally. He would fulfill the— On one occasion, he said of himself that he was a “Purim rabbi,” and people didn’t understand.

00:29 Speaker 1 What was the question?

00:30 Speaker 2 Yes. What did he mean, a “Purim rabbi”? Was he making light of the rabbinate? People didn’t understand, so he explained: People misunderstand what a Purim rabbi is. They think it’s someone who dresses up as a rabbi, says amusing things, tells all kinds of jokes, plays the part, puts on a show. That’s not a Purim rabbi. So what is a Purim rabbi? He explained: There’s an obligation to become intoxicated on Purim until one cannot distinguish. But what happens if a halachic question comes up on Purim? In those days, people would slaughter their chicken or lamb that very day. A question comes up, and now they go to the rabbi. But the rabbi has drunk a revi’is of wine, so he’s not allowed to issue a ruling. What do they do? They would appoint one rabbi who didn’t drink, so that if a question arose on Purim, there would be a rabbi who could rule on it. That’s why he called himself a Purim rabbi. What might he have meant by that? When the institution of the rabbinate was established, the Eidah Hachareidis in Jerusalem fought against it, because they saw it as a rabbinate appointed by the authorities—the Zionist authorities. The Zionist Organization wanted the rabbinate under its control too, and the Eidah Hachareidis fought it fiercely. But there were rabbis in Jerusalem who didn’t withstand the test. There was poverty then; they had nothing to eat, and anyone who joined the rabbinate received a salary. Some rabbis didn’t withstand that test. So he said of himself: “They won’t get me drunk—no, I mean, they won’t buy me off with all kinds of things.” That’s why he called himself a Purim rabbi.

02:14 Speaker 1 Yes. Mazel tov. Mazel tov.