Parshat Shemini (Shabbat HaChodesh)
March 28th-29th, 2003
25 Adar II, 5763

Would I be correct in assuming that most everybody reading this commentary has, at one time or other, enjoyed an alcoholic beverage? (Any Mormons or Muslims among my readership will take no offense at my question, I hope. Hey, you can only be so pluralistic when writing parsha sheets.) I myself would be the last to deny that I, too, appreciate a fine Kentucky bourbon or a cold beer as much as anybody else--particularly after a long, hard day studying the Torah!

You know what? Enjoying a drink is nowhere forbidden by our Torah. (Note: I’m NOT talking about underage drinking, nor encouraging anyone--least of all someone with a tendency to alcohol abuse-- to hit the bottle.) King David, the "sweet singer of Israel," whose Psalms celebrate the beauty of G-d’s Creation in all its facets, observes that "wine gladdens the heart of man." Our great Sages instituted that a cup of wine should grace many of our holiest occasions (notably, Kiddush on the Sabbath), and it is an ancient Jewish practice to recite the blessings under the bridal canopy (chupah) over a cup of wine. The upcoming Seder meals on Passover that commemorate our very birth as a nation, and our miraculous Exodus from Egypt under the guidance of the Almighty, call for us to consume not just one cup of wine…but a full four times that amount! IS THIS A COOL RELIGION, OR WHAT?!

There is an important idea here that needs to be highlighted--indeed, a pivotal (and very beautiful) characteristic of Jewish spirituality. The Torah teaches that we should not deny or disown the physical pleasures of life that G-d has granted us, nor (more broadly) the physical dimension of our existence as human beings. Rather, we are called on to sanctify them, to happily employ them (and the joy they provide) in serving G-d! With a spirit of healthy moderation and self-control nurtured in us by the mitzvos of the Torah--divine guidelines for achieving holiness in our life on earth--we can enjoy alcohol (like other physical pleasures of life) as a blessing from G-d. The same G-d Who surveyed the totality of His creation, and declared it, "very good" (Genesis: 1, 31), and Who (the Midrash teaches) told Adam as He led him around the luxuriant Garden of Eden: "See how beautiful and praiseworthy are My works; and all that I have created, I have created for your sake. Take heed that you do not damage and destroy My world." (Cited in Moshe Chayim Luzzatto’s Path of the Just, Feldheim edition, p. 21.)

It can’t be stressed enough in these times (or in any other times): The Torah teaches us that G-d wants us to be happy in the world He made for us!

However, before rushing out to PARTY, you should know that excessive indulgence in the physical pleasures of life, unrestricted pursuit of sensual delights for-their-own-sake (i.e., hedonism), is frowned on by the Torah. As is (sorry, dudes) outright intoxication. In many places, our Sages spoke very strongly against drunkenness… NOT because they (or the Torah they were upholding) want to spoil our fun, but because they want us to operate at our optimal level of intellectual and moral clarity! Drunkenness leads to the loss of our self-control, and of our capacity for judgment and intelligent decision-making--part of the very essence of our humanity. It is a desecration of our higher nature, of the holy "image of G-d" in which we human beings were created. Think of John Belushi in Animal House: funny, to be sure, but not exactly the ideal image of the greatness of a human being, not exactly holy! (Or healthy, for that matter: he pursued that very same lifestyle of hedonistic excess off-camera, and tragically met an early death as a result.)

When abused, alcohol (like other physical pleasures) is not a blessing, but a curse. It destroys G-d’s world…and our own personal one as well.

This is one reason why in this week’s Torah portion, G-d prohibits the Kohanim (the descendants of Aaron, who performed the service in the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple) from becoming intoxicated before doing their work, and prohibits Torah scholars from becoming intoxicated before deciding issues of Jewish law.

"Hashem spoke to Aaron, saying: ‘Do not drink intoxicating wine, you and your sons with you, when you come to the Tent of Meeting [to perform the service]…this is an eternal decree for your generations. In order to distinguish between the sacred and the profane…and to teach the Children of Israel all the decrees that Hashem had spoken to them through Moshe." (10, 8-11)

To perform the service in the Temple properly, or to adjudicate Torah law--or even, I would add, to act like a mensch, being sure to honor oneself and others properly, and to sanctify G-d’s Name in our daily lives--, we need an unclouded head, a clear mind, and a pure heart. Not an intense buzz. (Except, perhaps, if it comes from caffeine!)

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch points out that according to Jewish law, what is prohibited for a Kohen (or a religious judge) in this parsha is even a smaller amount of wine than would cause outright intoxication. Rav Hirsch eloquently explains:

"So that here there is no question of being really drunk, but only a fear of some slight disturbance in the clarity and tranquility of the mind. After drinking even such a small quantity, no service in the Tabernacle/Temple may be under-taken…nor any practical application of the laws of the Torah taught. Not the unclear realm of excited feelings and fantasy, but the tranquil clarity and sharpness of sober intelligence is what the Word of G-d demands for its fulfillment…Only the clear and comprehending mind, keeping everything in its right proportion and its right place, is able to guide our steps and decide for us what is the right way to carry out the dictates of G-d’s Torah." (Hirsch, Commentary to the Torah, Volume I of Vayikra, 258-59.)

Indeed, there is an opinion in the Midrash (cited by Rashi) that the transgression of Nadav and Avihu (Aharon’s sons) that led to their untimely death (see the parsha) was precisely that they had drunk wine before entering the Sanctuary! [There are other opinions as well. Perhaps the most accepted one is that on this all-important day of the consecration of the Tabernacle, when the pattern of perfect obedience to G-d in our public service to G-d was meant to be set, they brought an offering that had not been commanded by Hashem.]

What’s the point here? By all means, have a l’chayim in the right place, at the right time…and make sure to give thanks to G-d for the pleasure!

But realize that Judasim teaches that the highest joys and responsibilities in life (and our highest purpose here on earth) very much depend on us being not "wild and crazy," but serene and sober, in full possession of our faculties. We are not allowed to get "tanked up" to go commune with G-d at the Holy Temple, for laymen are also prohibited by Jewish law from entering the Sanctuary when drunk. It is not the Jewish way to employ mind-altering substances like alcohol to bring us, ostensibly, closer to G-d, or to help us to perceive "deeper truths" about existence. (The possible exception is Purim, on which a greater-than-normal degree of imbibing is part of the decreed observance of the day).

The reason is because we do not, and cannot, attain true holiness in an inebriated state. We cannot properly exercise our free will (nor our capacity for reason) when we are trashed.

Ah, but we human beings still long for transcendence, for states of exaltation. Throw away your Ecstasy…which, tragically (and ironically), scientists now know can permanently damage a person’s capacity to feel pleasure! (For the sake of a few wild nights, people can bring depression and non-ecstasy on themselves for the rest of their lives.) Well, the path of Torah and mitzvos is the safest, surest and purest route to a feeling of inner joy and happiness, without compromising our mental and moral clarity, or our physical vitality. King David himself (who, as we saw before, appreciated the fruit of the vine) taught us this: "The Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul…the precepts of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart; the command of Hashem is clear, enlightening the eyes." (Psalm 19)

Moderate consumption of alcohol, for those who like it, is no sin, and gladdens the heart (while potentially lowering the risk of coronary disease). But once we start talking about heavy use, forget it. The only thing I know of that’s healthy in super-large quantities…is Torah and mitzvos! Unlike the path of strong drink, this path leads to a steady, clear and growing inner glow of holiness and happiness, a constant and healthy high, as we strive to keep the Torah and to grow spiritually. There’s no limit to how "high" we can get, and there’s no unpleasant hangover or dangerous side effects. Go ahead, drink up!

GOOD SHABBOS!!!

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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