14 Friday, January 20, 1978
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Judaism and Relationship o Drugs
Almost no mention of
drug addiction or hallucina-
tory drug use can be found
in Jewish literatge or in
literature about Jews, ac-
cording to Rabbi Leo Land-
man in his recent book,
"Judaism and Drugs,"
(Commission on Synagogue
Relations).
We do not find mention of
the use among Jews of so-
called "near drugs," i.e.,
alcohol, tobacco, tea and
coffee.
Alcoholism was never
prevalent among the Jews
of yesteryear. The Talmud
mentions that the people of
Mehuza in the Fourth Cen-
tury were noted for their
drunkenness, but they were
not considered as true Jews.
Coffee was known as the
"Jewish drink" in Egypt of
the 18th Century but its pur-
pose was not to stimulate; it
was thought to be a safe-
guard against influenza.
People drank at the dawn of
day before they recited
their prayers.
Similarly, it was sipped
right after they recited
grace after meals at ban-
quets. Coffee was in-
troduced into England by
Jews.
The use of tobacco was
praised by the rabbis be-
cause its use was consid-
ered an aid to the abstention.
from liquor.
On the other hand, the
Christian Church opposed it.
Obviously, because of the
Church's opposition, the use
of tobacco was curtailed
even among those Jews who
lived under the Church's
rule.
In the East where Church
influence .was not felt, e.g.,
in Cairo, smoking was
heavy among Jews. Many
Eastern Jews sweetened
their tobacco with honey
and perfumed it.
Questions arose as- to
whether a benediction is re-
quired ere one begins to
smoke. On some fast days it
became the custom to re-
frain from smoking until the
afternoon. On Sabbath it
was prohibited, although
some nevertheless, filled a
hooka on Friday and kept it
going overnight.
Cases of tobacco addicts
are recorded. In one in-
stance, a particular Jew
used to visit his non-Jewish
friend on the Sabbath and
remained in the room while
the non-Jew smoked.
Lest anyone erroneously
conclude that the Jews of
the Middle Ages did not
engage in the misuse of
drugs because, living as
they did in ghettoes and
under the domination of
strong majorities, they had
no access to such drugs,
there is evidence to counter
any such notion.
Jews were physicians and
practiced this art in many
countries and in all cen-
turies. Many of these physi-
cians were engaged in the
study and description of
proper drugs.
• Novel and intricate mix-
The early form of chem-
tures were prized and indi-
istry, alchemy, held little
viduals vied to outdo their
fascination for Jews, al-
friends and neighbors in this
though both Jews and non-
art.
Jews of the Middle Ages
The use of it as a stimu-
believed that Moses' "Dipl-
lant for those who felt faint
osis," a work on the trans-
on Yom Kippur was corn- -
mutation of gold, and Solo-
mon.
mon's "Labyrinth" had
So prevalent was the
contributed much to this
"shmek tabbik" (pinch of
study.
snuff ), that the Yiddish
Perhaps the connection
writer, I.L. Peretz, used it
between alchemy and the
as the basis for his short
art of magic dissuaded Jews
story, "All for a Pinch of
from indulging in these
Snuff."
practices. Nevertheless,
In it, Satan succeeded in
they were very much con-
cerned with the use of prop - luring a pious rabbi into
unwittingly staining his sin-
er drugs for cures.
less record by using the
Important works were
rabbi's craving for snuff as
written such as the tannaitic
a stumbling block.
"Sefer Samanim" (Book of
In recent years, some
Spices and Drugs ) or the
rather tenuous assumptions
explicit warning of Asaf
have been made which un-
Judaeus not to administer
successfully attempt to at-
the juices of poisonous
tribute the usage of drugs to
drugs.
certain Jewish historical
Shabbatai Donnolo, the
figures.
Italian physician, analyzed
To this category belongs
many drugs and discussed
the basically unsubstan-
their efficacy for certain ill-
tiated theory expressed con-
nesses.
cerning Rabbi Israel Baal
More technical was
Shem Tov (Besht ), the
Maimonides' "Glossary of
founder of Hasidism. .
Drug Names." A Jewish
He was known to smoke
druggist, Abu'l Mina ha-Ko-
his pipe and had developed
hen al-Attar in 1260 wrote a
an addiction to it. On days
very popular book on the
when for religious reasons
"Management of the Drug
he could not engage in
Store."
smoking, he experienced
Furthermore, Jews en-
violent physical symptoms
gaged in the trade of drugs,
as a result of this tempo-
coffee and tea as they did in
rary withdrawal.
other mercantile occupa-
Jewish historian Yaffa
tions. Despite the fact that
Eliach has concluded that
in 12th Century England,
the Baal Shem Tov
druggists were looked down
"smoked something other
upon and equ'ated with ac-
than tobacco." She based
tors and dancing girls, Jews
her conclusions on some-
thought it a worthwhile pro-
what shaky proof.
fession and still engaged in
Joy, stimulation to pray-
pharmacy. The Charter of
er, and even visions are not
Frederick II in 1750 granted
unusual results for a highly
the Jews of Prussia the
sensitive religious soul who
right to trade. A list includ-
devotes himself fully to me-
ed tea, coffee and smoking
ditation and introspection in
tobacco.
an attempt to achieve a
Tobacco dressing was a
mystical communion with
trade in which the Jews of
God.
Amsterdam and other
The physical symptoms
Dutch cities engaged. Of 24
which the Besht expe-
Jews married in Amster-
rienced when he refrained
dam in 1649, 14 were to-
from smoking, such as the
bacco dressers.
signs of irritability, sweat-
A notary's entry of 1656
ing and the like, have been
mentions that Ashkenazic
experienced by many heavy
Jews were in the majority
smokers on many a Sabbath
in the tobacco dressing
afternoon.
trade and continued to be so
Eliach makes much of the
into the 19th Century.
fact that different terms
All of the above indicates
were used to describe the
the ready availability of all
Baal Shem Tov's pipe.
kinds of drugs and near-
"Only in one incident...is
drugs to Jews.
the substance...identified as
Nevertheless, recorded in-
tobacco (titun); however, in
stances of such use are min-
that story his pipe is re-
imal and can hardly be con-
ferred to as a Ma'aleh-Ash-
sidered within the realm of
an, while in all stories the
drugs as we understand the
substance smoked is not
problem to be today.
identified and - the pipe is
For example, Rabbi Ja-
referred to as a lulke (Per-
cob Emden, an 18th Century
sian for 'pipe')."
sage, was known to drink
All that one can conclude
tea as an anti-depressant.
is that the pipe is referred
Emden was an unstable,
to most times by the accept-
highly explosive individual
ed Yiddish usage. the word
with deep-rooted physical
lulke which most Jews used
and psychological problems.
for a pipe in which "to-
The use of snuff was very
bacco" was used.
popular among Jews, as it
The fact that the sub-
was among non-Jews.
stance was not identified in
People used it as a social
all instances, save one, does
ice-breaker, offering sam-
render it "more than
ples even to strange-ff.--------: not
•
tobacco." What is much
more likely was that it was
taken for granted that to-
bacco was used.
Eliach also emphasized
the position in which the
lulke was smoked. "...the
Besht remained in a station-
ary position lying or sitting
in his room or carriage.
while when he smoked to-
bacco he was walking
around."
This, too, does not allow
for any greater conclusion
than that the Besht found
solace and an easing of ten-
sions in different positions
while meditating and smok-
ing his beloved pipeful of
tobacco and nothing more.
Eliach also cites as addi-
tional evidence, the petition
of the Mochiakh of Polenoa
(a disciple) that, as a re-
ward for his devotion to
Torah, God grant him at
least once the ecstasy expe-
rienced by his teacher while
smoking the lulka.
Surely the Besht's closest
disciple would have known
if his teacher's exhilaration
were drug-induced ; were it
so, he could have employed
the same means for his own
stimulation rather than in-
dicate that he knew this
ecstacy could only result as
a gift of Divine grace.
It is for this grace that he
prayed, surely not for a
pipe-induced "trip."
If the Besht had used
something` other than to-
bacco, only a deliberate ef-
fort on his part to suppress
the knowledge of such use
could explain the fact that
his closest student was una-
ware of the contents of the
Pipe.
Such deliberate falsifica-
tion just does not fit in with
the known personality of the
Besht.
One hesitates to mention
the preposterous assump-
tions recently made which
stated that Judaism (as well
as giristianity) originated
as a secret cult centered
around the worship of a
"sacred mushroom," which
contained a hallucinogenic
drug.
French Name
Envoy to Israel
PARIS—Marc Bonnefous,
who tried unsuccessfully to
negotiate the freedom of
hostages aboard a high-
jacked Air France jet in
Entebbe, Uganda, in July,
1976, was named Jan. 2 as
French ambassador to Is-
rael.
Weekend in Cairo
Is Benefit Prize
JERUSALEM — Jerusa-
lem lawyer Oded Eliashar
and his wife Yona won a
week-end at the Nile Hilton
Hotel in Cairo at last
month's Ambassador's
Ball," a scholarship benefit
sponsored by the Women
Friends of the Hebrew Uni-
versity.
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