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36

October 20 2011

1709730

ecently, I had the opportunity
ning," we see this week that none of
to visit with a woman who just us is immune from peer pressure, for
turned 102 years old. After a
who hasn't been faced with a pressured
lovely conversation where she shared
temptation? So many of us give in to peer
some of the highlights of her life, I
pressure because we want to be liked,
asked her if she could artic-
we want to fit in and we are
ulate the best thing about
concerned that others might
being 102. Without batting
reject us if we don't go along
an eye, she proudly and
with the group. The thought
directly offered me three
that "everyone else is doing it"
words: "No peer pressure!"
definitely tempts us to set aside
The truth is that peer
our better judgment as well as
pressure is as old as time
our common sense.
itself. In fact, as we begin
Peer pressure is nothing new
the Torah all over again this
to Jews who have faced intense
week, one of the very first
pressure to dress like others, to
Rabbi J oseph
experiences portrayed in
eat like others and to talk like
H. Kra koff
Genesis is a situation of tre-
others throughout history. In
Special to the
mendous peer pressure ...
Egypt, Babylonia and Persia,
Jewish News
even if the peer in this sce-
for example, our ancestors tried
nario is not a human being.
to guard their Jewish customs
The Torah explains it like this: "The
with their very lives, fighting to maintain
serpent was more cunning than any
their own uniqueness and integrity while
creature the Lord had made. And he
refusing to bow down to the mounting
said to the woman, `Did God really say
peer pressure of assimilation and the
that you're not allowed to eat from any
demand that they abandon their cus-
tree in the garden?'
toms.
The serpent, clearly promoting his own
As we begin again this week with the
agenda, single-handedly introduces peer
reading of Genesis, may we learn from
pressure into the world, offering Eve the
the mistakes made by the first woman
following challenge: "You will not die. But
and first man in the Torah. As such,
God knows that as soon as you eat from
let us commit ourselves to never being
it, your eyes will be opened, and you will
afraid or embarrassed about standing
be like a god, knowing good and evil."
strong in our principles and values
The medieval Torah commentator Rashi
even amidst intense peer pressure.
relates that the serpent actually pushed
In this way, let us proudly and firmly
Eve until she touched the tree.
assert our independence, our indi-
Feeling the mounting pressure from
viduality and our self-respect by being
this crafty serpent, the woman took one
proud of who we are. 7
of the fruits off the tree and she ate. But,
unfortunately, she did not stop there.
She then gave a piece of the tree's fruit
Conversations
to her husband, pressuring him exactly
• When was the last time you felt
the same way she had been pressured by
peer pressure? Did you give in or
the serpent moments earlier. Feeling this
hold your ground?
intense sense of peer pressure, Adam ate
• Have you ever pressured others
it, too, and the world was transformed
to do something they didn't want
forever.
to do? How did you feel?
Going all the way back to the "begin-

