הוריות יא

An עני complained to רבי אברהם-אבלי, the רב of Vilna, that he can’t put food on the table and now has two daughters to marry off.  His only recourse was to go begging from door to door and would like to get a letter of recommendation from the רבי.  The רבי gave him the letter, but within days was told that the עני was spending his money on wine and liquor and was drunk by noon each day.  The רבי had the עני brought before him and said: “I need to thank you.  It’s because of you that I now finally understand the popular expression ׳שיכור כלוט׳.  I had always wondered why we don’t say שיכור כנח.   After all, נח came first and the תורה says about him ‘וישת מן היין וישכר’.  Therefore, we should say שיכור כנח.  But now, the reason we say שיכור כלוט is clear to me.  נח allowed himself to get drunk because he had already married off his sons and daughters; but לוט, who still had single daughters to marry off, how could he permit himself to get drunk?”

06/10/2021