1. Question: [Sunday, 2^nd Adar 5781]

Rabbi, this year that Purim falls on Erev Shabbos what is the ideal time for the Purim meal to take place? Must it be breakfast? Can I push it off to lunch, or even late in the day before sunset as is usually done by a regular Purim?

Answer:

• Initially the meal should take place in the morning prior to midday/Chatzos.
• If for whatever reason this is not possible, then at the very least you should place all effort to begin it prior to the 10^th hour of the day, which is three Zemanyios hours before sunset and depends on your location [i.e. if sunset in your location is at 5 o’clock, and each of the 12 halachic daylight hours is 50 minutes each, then this means that you should begin the meal at the very least before 2:30.]
• If this time too has already passed, you are nonetheless to celebrate the Purim meal up until sunset and make sure to stop eating and drinking by sunset unless you perform the process of Pores Mapa Umikadesh which is beyond the scope of this answer to go into and is fully dealt with in an article on our website.

Explanation: Due to the mitzvah to honor Shabbos with a Shabbos meal that is eaten with an appetite therefore the sages established a timeline for the Purim meal to take place on Friday in order so it interfere as little as possible with the following Friday night meal. Nonetheless, since the Purim meal is also a mitzvah therefore, they allowed it to commence even later on in the day, and even on expense of the Friday night meal, if for whatever reason one could not follow the initial directives of the timetable.

Sources: See Rama 695:2; Admur 249:6; M”B 695:10; Aruch Hashulchan 249:7; Ketzos Hashulchan 69 footnote 8; Hisorerus Teshuvah 2:172; See however Shulchan Menachem 3:330 that the Rebbe once stated one is not required to be particular to begin prior to midday, and that the Rebbe Rashab had his meal in the afternoon on Erev Shabbos. [Sefer Hasichos 5700 P. 37]; Piskeiy Teshuvos 695:6 footnote 31