Richard Rosenthal
own. These laws sought to regulate, among other things dress and life cycle celebrations. Jews wasted money and stirred the envy of non-Jews.*! This can also be seen in the Italian rabbis’ attempt to control romantic elopements. Many communities established enactments to forbid them.*?
Purim has always had a sense of celebration, of turning the world on its head.” Raba said: It is the duty of a man to mellow himself(with wine) on Purim until he cannot tell the difference between‘cursed be Haman ’ and‘blessed be Mordecai.””** On Purim we reverse the normal order. Not only in drinking but we read the Megillah at night, encourage the making of noise to wipe out the sound of the name of Haman . A banquet, which serves as a reminder of the banquet Esther made for Ahasuerus, is one of the mitzvot of Purim . Purim bothered the pious. Joy was an essential part of the holiday. But it should be the joy of mitzvah, whose purpose it was to appreciate the miracle of the Purim story. Wrote the Shaloh:“I have seen many persons overtaken by wine go out in terrible sinfulness in these days of Purim increasing in playfulness and frivolity. They are not scrupulous in praying on these days on the contrary shout loudly at the time of prayer.”** Or consider the comments of Joseph Yuspa Haan Neurlingen:“wise man should keep his eyes in his head and be careful not to get drunk completely nor fill his belly more than is fitting...”*> Protectors of the established order they felt threatened by the radical possibilities of Purim and wanted everyone to stay off its slippery slope.
Masquerade became part of the celebration In Italy it all must have been influenced by Carnival, which was an important part of Italian life. Carnival had its origin in the Roman Saturnalia. This was a time when the order of the world was inverted, daily conventions were transgressed, and people indulged in all sorts of excesses. These characteristics were transferred to the Christian Carnival.“Inversion is at the root of Carnival symbolism and explains the presence of such customs as transvestite costumes, or clothes worn inside out, the poor playing the role of the rich, and the weak that of the powerful.”* The reality of the carnival world was an alternate world that not only served as a
kind of safety valve releasing pressure from the brutalities and oppression of every day life but also allowed people to dream of