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