30 | APRIL 1 • 2021 

PASSOVER

M

ost of us are familiar with the 
traditional meaning of Passover, 
a commemoration of the Jews’ 
liberation from slavery in Egypt. During 
the holiday, we take part in the seder and 
refrain from eating leavened foods.
For recovering addicts, the holiday takes 
on an additional dimension, the celebration 
of a different kind of freedom. And, accord-
ing to Rabbi Benny Greenwald, director 
of Daniel B. Sobel Friendship 
House, there are many similar-
ities between Passover and the 
ongoing journey of recovery.
“
Addicts are tied down to 
something, enslaved by some-
thing they don’t want to be 
tied down to, whether it’s a 
substance or a self-destructive 
behavior,
” Greenwald said. “They can’t 
break free by themselves, just like the Jews 
in Egypt couldn’t free themselves.
” 
Like the enslaved Jews needed God to 
help them escape, recovering addicts learn 
to rely on a power greater than themselves.
Brain chemistry also plays a part in keep-
ing people enslaved to addictions, explains 
Eleanor Aharoni, certified advanced alcohol 
and drug counselor. 
“With all addictions, the 
brain dictates and remembers 
patterns. The pleasure-seeking 
cells in the frontal part of the 
brain remind people how good 
they felt drinking, using drugs, 
gambling, even overeating. 
When people try to break 
those patterns, the brain reacts and goes 
into physical and emotional withdrawal.
” 
Aharoni adds that while withdrawal is 
difficult, it is necessary in order to break the 
pattern of addiction.
Recovery begins when an individual 

admits powerlessness over an addiction that 
has caused life to become unmanageable. 
Rabbi Yarden Blumstein of Friendship 
Circle draws a parallel between this step and 
the Egyptian Pharoah’s inability 
to surrender control, even in 
the face of 10 plagues.
“No matter how bad it got, 
he wasn’t willing to let go, to 
admit his powerlessness and 
recognize a power greater than 
himself. It destroyed everything 
around him,
” Blumstein said.
In much the same way, holding onto the 
idea that an addiction can be “managed” 
wreaks further havoc and prevents the 
addict from achieving the abstinence neces-
sary for recovery.
“For years, I tried to control my drink-
ing,
” said Rachel W
. who has been sober for 
16 years. “When I finally surrendered to the 
idea that I was powerless over alcohol, I felt 
free for the first time.
” 
Another parallel between Passover and 
recovery can be found in the traditional 
search for chametz (bread and other leav-
ened products) prior to the holiday. In 
Jewish mysticism, according to Greenwald, 
these foods represent the ego, an inflated 

sense of self. Matzah, which does not rise, 
represents humility. 
This ties into an important component 
of a 12-step recovery program, performing 
“a searching and fearless moral inventory 
of ourselves.
” In the same way, we rid our 
homes of chametz, recovering addicts iden-
tify their character flaws and begin the pro-
cess of eliminating them.
For Sabrina R., belief in a higher power 
is a vital part of both the Passover story and 
the process of recovery.
“The lesson of Pesach is to always 
be aware of how we are leaving ‘Egypt,
’ 
the things we are enslaved to,
” she said. 
“Recovery gives me freedom from addic-
tion. In both cases, faith was essential.
”
 Gratitude is also key to maintaining long-
term recovery. This principle is reflected 
during the seder in the “Dayenu” song, 
which recounts all the things God did for 
the Jewish people, from taking them out of 
Egypt to bringing them to Israel. Each verse 
ends with the word dayenu, which translates 
as “it would have been enough.
”
“‘Dayenu’ is a gratitude list,
” Blumstein 
said. “When you’re in recovery and you’re 
living in gratitude, you understand why half 
the list would be good enough.
”
Greenwald believes Passover is the perfect 
occasion to achieve freedom from the vari-
ous kinds of emotional slavery most people 
experience.
“Take the opportunity to tap into the 
message and the energy of Passover, 
Greenwald said. “It involves something deep 
that lets us break free from our limitations, 
and, just like our ancestors left Egypt, we 
can leave the bondage of our perceived 
restraints.
” 

Recovering addicts celebrate freedom from 
a different, but powerful form of slavery.

Liberation from 
‘Invisible’ Chains

Rabbi 
Benny 
Greenwald

Rabbi 
Yarden 
Blumstein

Eleanor 
Aharoni

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Resources: 
The Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House 
provides support and guidance to 
individuals and families struggling with 
addiction, isolation and other life crises. 
Contact Rabbi Benny Greenwald at 
benny@friendshipcircle.org or 
(248) 788-8888, ext. 206, or visit 
friendshipcircle.org/friendshiphouse

Alcoholics Anonymous 
www.aa.org

Narcotics Anonymous
www.na.org

Al-Anon, support for family 
members of individuals 
struggling with addiction
www.al-anon.org

Overeaters Anonymous
www.oa.org

Gamblers Anonymous
gamblersanonymous.org

