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> Does Bible Describe
Jewish Alcoholics?

RABBI RICHARD C. HERTZ

Special to The Jewish News

T

his week's Torah por-
tion tells the strange
story of Nadav and
Avihu, sons of Aaron, and the
strange fire that consumed
them both. Why the two sons
met their death and the
motivation for the story itself
has long puzzled commen-
tators. Vayikra Rabba 20 of-

TORAH PORTION

fers four reasons: for arro-
gantly drawing nearer to the
innermost precincts of the
Tabernacle than they were
supposed to; for offering a
sacrifice that they were not
supposed to offer; for the
strange fire they kindled; and
for not consulting with others
but acting individually, and
not turning their eyes away
from the Divine Presence, as
Moses had done at the Burn-
ing Bush.
The terrible fate of Nadav
and Avihu dramatized the
need for faithful, strict per-
formance of tli rituals and
an accountability because of
their high positions. Still, the
precise nature of their offense
is obscure.
Immediately following the
story of the two are the ver-
ses forbidding priests to drink

Shabbat Shemini:
Leviticus
9:1-11:47,
II Samuel 6:1-7:17

(

-,

any intoxicating wine before
performing a sacred function.
Because of the proximity to
the story of Nadav and Av-
ihu, the rabbis inferred that
the sin of the two sons was
drinking. They must have
been drinking wine before
they entered the sanctuary.
They had no respect for
Moses or Aaron.
This brings up the place of
intoxicants in Scripture. The
Bible considers the drinking
of wine quite normal. Outside
of the Noah story in Genesis
9:20-28, drunkenness is never
a problem, though the Bible
does contain several warn-
ings against drunkenness,
such as in Proverbs 23:29-33.
Wine has long been a part
of Jewish ceremonials. Kid-
dush on the Sabbath, Hav-
dalah, celebrations at a brit
or a marriage ceremony or
other simchas — wine has

Dr. Hertz is rabbi emeritus
of Temple Beth El.

always been drunk at reli-
gious occasions. Judaism does
not prescribe abstention.
Historically, drunkenness
has not been identified as a
Jewish disease. The incidence
of alcoholism among Jews
has always been low. One
test, done in the 1930's, sur-
veyed alcoholism in first ad-
missions to New York State
Hospitals. The test disclosed
that the figure for Jewish
patients was almost eight
times lower than that of any
other ethnic group.
Another test showed that
Jews had the smallest
number of abstainers. They
may have been a high per-
centage of drinkers but a
small percentage of alco-
holics. Yale's Center of Alco-
holic Studies has often been
quoted showing that Jews as
a group may drink exten-
sively but in a pattern of
moderation, with few
pathological consequences.
Judaism forbids drunken-
ness, not drinking. The Bible
says "Wine rejoiceth the
heart of man." If it brings
cheer or joy to a person, well
and good. The Yale resear-
chers noted that "virtually all
the drinking which takes
place in the religious Jewish
culture has ... socially de-
fined meanings ... and the
sacred and his relationship to
it.
Social drinking often leads
to over-drinking and alco-
holism, where a person uses
alcohol to give himself rela-
xation and gets away tempo-
rarily from the cares of the
day and loses control. He gets
"hooked."
Following World War II,
heavier drinking among Jews
in the U.S. appears to be re-
lated to the Jew's accultura-
tion to the values of the mid-
dle class society in which he
moves. Some believe that
alcoholism is highest in
groups where tension is high
and drinking habits are not
subject to consistent social
controls.

Is alcoholism a growing
problem in the American
Jewish community? Many ob-
servers think so. The custom
of having a cocktail party be-
fore any important event,
wine- tasting parties, parties
where the bar is more impor-
tant than the mitzvah, pro-
fessions and businesses where
social drinking is noticeably
increasing, peer drinking
among Jewish teenagers, are
all signs and portraits of a
new problem in American
Jewish society.

The Nadav and Avihu
story in this week's sidrah is
thus more modern than it
first appears.

THE ESTHER ALLAN/SALLY ALLAN ALEXANDER
MEMORIAL CONCERT

featuring

Metropolitan Opera Tenor and Cantor

MISHA RAITZIN

Thursday, May 7, 1987
8:00 p.m.
Adat Shalom Synagogue

The concert is open to the public at no charge, but tickets must be
picked up in advance. For further information, call the synagogue of-
fice, 851-5100.

ISRAEL

Vogl
HaAtzma ut

(Israel Independence Day)

FAMILY FUN DP
Sunday, May 3, 1987
2:00 p.m•

L Jewish Community Center

CONCERT

Wednesday,
May 6, 1987

Hanan Yovel, Foiksin g er
7:30 p.m:
Maple/Drake
Jewish Community Center

Tickets:
$5 adults
$2.50 senior adults
and children under 12

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West Bloomfield

• Youth Quiz
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• Israeli Products
Israel Obstacle Course
•
Film: "Pillars of Fire'
•
Airplane Contest
•
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YOM HAZIKARON
(Israel War Memorial Day)

Saturday, May 2, 1987
9:30 p.m.

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