By Benjy Singer
Over the past few days I have spoken to Ha’Rav Aryeh Shtern, the Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim and Rav Chayim Soloveitchik from Ramat Bet Shemesh (Rav Aharon Soloveitchik’s son and Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik’s nephew) about what to do when Purim falls on Erev Shabbat with regards to eating your Purim Seudah.
Firstly, as far as I understand, the concept of, ‘Pores Mapah UmKadesh’ which is the term used to describe continuing your Friday afternoon meal into Shabbat, as discussed in the Gemarah in the 10th Perek of Pesachim, is used to describe any Erev Shabbat and not specifically Purim going into Shabbat.
Clearly, the Gemarah is not talking about ‘Le’Chatchilah ‘, an ideal situation when you plan to continue on the meal, but rather a B’Dieved case when you didn’t realize Shabbat was coming in and had no choice. Therefore, it’s problematic to actually, consciously plan ahead to do ‘Pores Mapah UmKadesh’.
Another problem with ‘Pores Mapah UmKadesh’ – in the context of Purim on Erev Shabbat and continuing your Purim Seudah into your Friday night Shabbat meal, is in fact that the Meiri in Ketubot 8 that discusses this topic, is talking about the 14th of Adar going into the 15th of Adar and NOT the 15th of Adar going into the 16th of Adar as happens in Yerushalayim, when it is no longer Purim anywhere.
The Mishnah Brurah discusses whether you can say ‘Al Hanissim’ in benching on Friday night – the 16th, as I’ll write about next week.
If you do do ‘Pores Mapah UmKadesh’ you have fulfilled your obligation for Seudat Purim.
Rav Yoni Rosensweig told me that the Nehar Mitzrayim supports the idea of Pores Mapa, and claims this was the Minhag in Jerusalem for many years.
Here is a summary of what they said:
Ha’Rav Aryeh Shtern:
You are supposed to have your Purim Seudah earlier on in the day and then have a normal Shabbat meal and not merge your Purim Seudah and Shabbat meal.
This year, as the clocks are changing, it will make it even easier. There is less of a reason to claim you don’t have enough time for a Purim Seudah and then to prepare for another Shabbat meal in the evening.
It is not the accepted practice to do ‘Pores Mapah UmKadesh’ and by doing so you enter yourself into Halachik problems which is not something we chose to do.
On the other hand, if for whatever reason you do do ‘Pores Mapah UmK’adesh’ there is a precedent for this.
Rav Chayim Soloveitchik:
He was also against ‘Pores Mapah Um’Kadesh’ and said only applies if for whatever reason you couldn’t have a Purim Seudah earlier on in the day – if for instance you were at work or in the army.
Rav Chayim said his father and uncle were against it for a more conceptual reason. That is, in Halacha, we don’t confuse different days which are conceptually, inherently different. Shabbat is Shabbat and Purim is Purim. The nature of Shabbat and Purim is totally different and they have their own mitzvot and obligations.
Originally appears on IsraelK
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