C9: Drugs

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Jewish Drugs

Our tradition has a long
association with one of the
oldest drugs known to man -
wine. After the flood is over, Noah takes a drink:

'And Noah, the man of the earth, began by planting a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk .and he cursed... "

But he was not the first to discover wine...

"God said to Noah: Noah, couldn't you have learned a lesson from Adam whose downfall was entirely the fault of wine?! The tree [of knowledge was the grape vine ...as Rabbi Meir taught: the tree from which Adam ate was undoubtedly the grape, for there is nothing that brings as much misery to human beings as wine."

After all, the Torah never actually says that it was an apple that Adam ate and a vine would make more sense. Later on, Aharon's two sons are killed because they entered into God's Sanctuary while they were drunk. So it seems reasonable to say that God frowns on drinkers.., but look again.

"Wine cheers the hearts of men"

Wine is what we use to make kiddush:

"One may pronounce the holiness of the day (kiddush) only over wine; One may bless only over wine."

Wine is consumed on Purim to help enjoy the festival and wine can help one make decisions in Jewish law:

"Rabbi Nachman said: ... Until I have had a cup of wine, my mind is not lucid!"

So is wine good or bad? Like most Jewish answers, it depends. In mild amounts it loosens you up, making you more open and honest. But getting too drunk can make a person aggressive and rude. Judaism is saying that wine is good in that it can help us to think more clearly and to relate to people better. Kiddush on Friday night and on Seder night is a great way to begin the evening, it makes people more open and willing to join in with the specialness of the day. But when we rely on drink then we lose touch with reality and do foolish things.

In Judaism wine is used to better appreciate the world and its contents, not as an alternative to living in it! There is no quick and easy 'fix' to life and its problems: we have to face up to them. If a glass or two helps us face the problems then fine, but if a bottle becomes a vital crutch to lean on or even a place to hide in, then it is very dangerous indeed.

This is true for other drugs too. Needing a drug is called dependence which means that the drug is controlling you. You are no longer a free person. The drug has cheated you out of facing life as it really is.

But what would my Rabbi say?

Anything that is directly harmful to the health of a person should not be done says the Torah:

"take good care of your lives "

This is explained by Maimonides:

"Many things are forbidden because they are dangerous to life. If one ignores any of these and says: If I want to put myself in danger, what concern is it to others? . . .he is punished." So the smoking of cigarettes, which is a definite danger to life cannot be sanctioned. An authoritative Rabbi also stated that if the exhaled smoke is harmful to others in close proximity (i.e. passive smoking) then the smokers are obliged to smoke in private or far away from other people.

Anything which is illegal according to the law of the country that a Jew lives in is automatically prohibited in Jewish law too. (Except of course if it directly contradicts Jewish law.) Therefore since cannabis and some other drugs are banned in this country, it is against Jewish law as well as British law for British Jews to use them.

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