Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
When to Eat Purim Seudah When Purim Falls on a Friday
Question: Purim is on Friday this year. How can we fulfill the
mitzvah of the Purim seudah as well as the mitzvah of the Sabbath seudah on
that same Friday afternoon-evening?
Answer: There are two options:
Rav Moshe Isserlis (Orach Chayim, 684, 2) suggests that when Purim comes out
on Friday we eat our Purim meal on Friday morning so that we still are able
to give proper honor to the Sabbath meal. For those who are a bit
squeamish about eating meat in the morning, it is certainly possible to have
a seudat Purim with fish and wine.
There is a second possibility raised by the Talmud in chapter Arvei Pesachim
to the effect that you begin your Purim seudah early Friday afternoon, and
if you see the sun setting - you put a second tablecloth over the food still
on the table for the Purim Seudah, make kiddush for Shabbat, remove the
tablecloth and continue to eat your meal - however, now, you are eating in
honor of the Sabbath.
My preference is for the first of these options, since the mood of the Purim
seudah ("ad d'lo yada") is qualitatively different from the mood
of the Sabbath seudah, and I believe that each seudah deserves its own
ambiance.
