Personally I have heard the curse as having been wrought by the Hazon Ish, the Steipler, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and the Brisker Rav. Maybe others have heard other names as the source of the curse.
I have also heard the curse on Purim in general, Purim in Jerusalem, and Purim in Bnei Brak.
It could be that the curse, if it really exists, is the reason for the crazy weather we are about to have. We just went from stormy to nice. By shabbos it is going to get into heat wave weather with temperatures as high as 28-30 (mid 80's). By Monday-Tuesday - Purim - the forecasters are predicting rain again with cooler temperatures...
Side point: does anyone have credible information on the origin and specifics of the curse?
it should be easy enough to check historical weather data to see if and where it rained each year on purim.
ReplyDeletethat would not prove anything one way or the other about a curse...
ReplyDeleteevery year the same comments about the curse are made because it almost always seems to rain or be bad weather.... not every year, but often...
why would a gadol curse a yomtov that requires jews to go outside? why make it difficult for them? especially for what it supposed to be such a happy holiday?
ReplyDeletesomething doesn't smell right......
The curse thing is nonsense, people are supposed to dress in a tzanua fashion all year round. So, if there were to be a curse for this purpose, we wouldn't have the warm Spring and Summer months (or Eretz Yisrael would be located closer to the north pole) which generally encourages people to wear less clothing.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is clear to all that having the most possible rain this Purim would be an unadulterated bracha (rather than a klala - curse). Israel desperately needs the rain, and worst comes to worst, people can dress up as fish, firefighters, frogs, and other such things that don't mind the moisture.
Mark
very true, Mark. this year it would be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteLast year it was 90 degrees and clear skies.
ReplyDeletei always heard the curse is to prevent ppl from going out and driving in the inclement weather when they're drunk.
ReplyDeletehow come everything is about tzniut??? can't ppl think of anything else?
tzip - that is simply the reason I heard, and I heard it well before tzniyut was ever a big issue...
ReplyDeleteRafi: Every year that it rains in Israel on Purim is a bracha.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Kinneret and Dead Sea are overflowing, we can talk about inconveniences.
People need to get it in their heads -- rain in the winter is a bracha. I recall years ago trying to fix a leak in my attic during a bitter cold and rainy night, and I said over and over again, "Baruch Hashem, it's raining"
agreed.. so let me ask a new question.. if the rabbonim could give a bracha that on purim it should rain, and let's say it works (as many people remember purim as rainy most of the time), why not give a bracha for the whole winter?
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't they just discourage the silly [Roman] custom of dressing up?
Oh, yeah,...the hillonim.