What are we supposed to do about losing an hour of Purim this year? [closed]

Question

With the help of the One Who Makes Times Change, we have merited to discuss, in previous years, various aspects of Jewish Law and Custom related to the changing of clocks for Daylight Saving Time^:).

This year (5777/2017), those of us who live in the US^{^.^} face a special conundrum: we will be moving the clocks forward on Purim itself! If I understand this correctly, that means that we're going to lose an hour of Purim, which seems to directly contradict the rule "When Adar enters, Joy increases".

What modifications to the practices of Daylight Saving Time and/or Purim practices are recommended for resolving this conundrum?

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<sup>:) And these are they:
- Is Daylight Saving Time a Mitzvah DeOraitha or Takkanah DeRabanan?
- Daylight Saving Time - forward or backward?
- Announcing the clock change in English?
- Seeking texts of all prayers associated with the clock change</sup>

^{^.^ OK, Most of the US.}

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This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.

Answer 1

No modifications are needed. Chazal already were aware of this issue and accounting for it was even incorporated in the original enactment of Purim, as it says in the Talmud (Megillah 2a):

בזמניהם" זמנים הרבה תקנו להם"
"In their times" (Esther 9:31) -- multiple times were enacted for it.

It is thus perfectly Lekhatchila to celebrate Purim in multiple time systems.

Answer 2

The Sages decreed that, in accordance with the rule of "כל הגורע - מוסיף" ("Whoever subtracts must add."), whenever we are forced to subtract an hour from Purim night, we must make it up by extending Purim day by an extra hour.

Later authorities recommended that we devote this extra hour to enhancing the true essences of the four commandments of Purim, as follows:

• Megillah: Appoint a respected member of the community to stand next to the Reader and, using a stopwatch, strictly ensure that every call of the graggers fulfills the most stringent opinions for minimum duration. Make sure that he is empowered to call for a repeat gragging whenever the last gragging was questionable.

• Mishteh (Meal): Spend your extra hour pregaming heavily, so that you can enter the Mitzva meal with the appropriate confusion between it and the banquet of Achashveirosh.

• Mishloach Manot (Messenger Gifts) : Two words: שכר הליכה (reimbursement for distance traveled). Ensure that your delivery route requires as many U-turns and backtracks as possible, preferably all within the most busy crossroads in the neighborhood. An app that helps design a maximally-complicated route is available thanks to a collaboration of the Zomet Institute and UPS.

• Maseichot (Masks)^$: This year, ensure that not only every member of your family is dressed up consistently with the theme introduced in your Mishloach Manot, but dress up your pets, car, house, and nearby streetlights as well.

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^{$: In the times of the Temple, the fourth commandment was Matanot Le-evyonim - Monetary Gifts to Poor People. Nowadays, however, the minhag is to not spend time on this commandment on Purim, and we observe Maseichot in its stead.}

Answer 3

DoubleAA is correct that chazal have already accounted for this. You don't need to do anything; you're fine.

However, my rabbi taught me that it is better to make up the hour by teleporting one timezone west, thus traveling in time an hour earlier, and the machmir keep doing so every hour to milk as much simcha out of the day as possible. But this is not the halacha because our sages wisely did not want to impose the burden of acquiring the means of time travel on everybody; the precedent set by Moshe Rabbeinu (Menachot 29B) notwithstanding.

Answer 4

This seems to be a clear sha'as hadechak (get it?), and therefore we should follow the advice of the Terumas Hadeshen (#109), brought in Shulchan Aruch O.C. 692:4, to daven maariv after plag hamincha and read megillah before sh'kia, thus maximizing the amount of time available during the night hours for drunkenly wailing "chayav inish l'besumi."

Answer 5

I think the idea of having Daylight Savings Time occur on Purim is wonderful! Congress should change the time, again (how often have they changed the date in the past few decades??) so that it occurs on the day of Purim, no matter what day of the week it is.

Your concern that we will lose an hour of sleep is minor, my friend. Don't you know the rule זריזים מקדימים למצות?? (loose translation: The "alert" / "excited" people arise early to perform mitzvoth.) Since Daylight Savings time occurs on Purim this year, you'll be reading the Megilla an hour earlier! What a terrific idea and what a brilliant way to have people follow this adage! It should be this way every year!

If you're really worried about that lost hour of sleep, trust me. If you get drunk later in the day during your Purim meal, you'll catch up on your sleep!