Liquor in the Jewish Tradition
(יז) וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכָלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת׃
(17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’
תניא ר"מ אומר אותו אילן שאכל אדם הראשון ממנו גפן היה!
It was taught: Rabbi Meir said, the tree that The First Earthling ate from was a grape vine.
(כ) וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃ (כא) וַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אָהֳלֹֽה׃
(20) And Noah, the man of the land, began and planted a vineyard. (21) And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
(לא) וַתֹּ֧אמֶר הַבְּכִירָ֛ה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָ֖ה אָבִ֣ינוּ זָקֵ֑ן וְאִ֨ישׁ אֵ֤ין בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ לָב֣וֹא עָלֵ֔ינוּ כְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (לב) לְכָ֨ה נַשְׁקֶ֧ה אֶת־אָבִ֛ינוּ יַ֖יִן וְנִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה עִמּ֑וֹ וּנְחַיֶּ֥ה מֵאָבִ֖ינוּ זָֽרַע׃ (לג) וַתַּשְׁקֶ֧יןָ אֶת־אֲבִיהֶ֛ן יַ֖יִן בַּלַּ֣יְלָה ה֑וּא וַתָּבֹ֤א הַבְּכִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב אֶת־אָבִ֔יהָ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע בְּשִׁכְבָ֖הּ וּבְקוּׅמָֽהּ׃
Vayikra 10:8-9
| 8And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, | חוַיְדַבֵּר יקוק אֶל אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר: | |
| 9Do not drink wine that will lead to intoxication, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, so that you shall not die. [This is] an eternal statute for your generations. | טיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל תֵּשְׁתְּ | אַתָּה | וּבָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ בְּבֹאֲכֶם אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְלֹא תָמֻתוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם: |
אמר רבא מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי
Rava said: One is obligated to become inebriated [with wine] on Purim until he cannot tell the difference between cursed be Haman and blessed be Mordecai.
רבה ורבי זירא עבדו סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי איבסום קם רבה שחטיה לרבי זירא למחר בעי רחמי ואחייה לשנה אמר ליה ניתי מר ונעביד סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי אמר ליה לא בכל שעתא ושעתא מתרחיש ניסא
Rabbah and R. Zera joined together in a Purim feast. They became inebriated, and Rabbah arose and cut R. Zera’s throat. The next day he prayed on his behalf and revived him. Next year he said: Will the master come and we will have the Purim feast together. He replied: A miracle does not take place on every occasion.
Self Care
(ג) דבר אחר: וכי ימוך, הדא הוא דכתיב (שם יא): גומל נפשו איש חסד, זה הלל הזקן שבשעה שהיה נפטר מתלמידיו היה מהלך והולך עמם. אמרו לו תלמידיו: רבי, להיכן אתה הולך? אמר להם: לעשות מצוה! אמרו לו: וכי מה מצוה זו? אמר להן: לרחוץ בבית המרחץ. אמרו לו: וכי זו מצוה היא? אמר להם: הן. מה אם איקונין של מלכים שמעמידים אותו בבתי טרטיאות ובבתי קרקסיאות, מי שנתמנה עליהם הוא מורקן ושוטפן והן מעלין לו מזונות. ולא עוד, אלא שהוא מתגדל עם גדולי מלכות. אני שנבראתי בצלם ובדמות, דכתיב (בראשית ב): כי בצלם אלקים עשה את האדם עאכ"ו!
A story is told of Hillel that when he finished a lesson with his pupils, he accompanied them from the classroom. They said, "Master, where are you going?" He answered, "To perform a mitzvah." "Which mitzvah is that?" they asked. "To bathe in a bathhouse," replied Hillel. The students asked, "Is this a mitzvah?" Hillel replied, "If somebody is appointed to scrape and clean the statues of the king that are set up in the theaters and circuses and is paid to do the work, and furthermore, associates with the nobility, how much the more so should I, who am created in the divine image and likeness, take care of my body."
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05228.html
DINA DE-MALKHUTA DINA (Aram. דִּינָא דְּמַלְכוּתָא דִּינָא), the halakhic rule that the law of the country is binding, and, in certain cases, is to be preferred to Jewish law. The problem of dina de-malkhuta dina is similar to – but not identical with – the problem of *conflict of laws in other legal systems.
Samuel's principle is cited only four times in the Talmud (Ned. 28a; Git. 10b; BK 113a; BB 54b and 55a). Three halakhot that are cited by *Rabbah (according to another reading by *Rava, fourth generation of Babylonian amoraim), in the name of the exilarch Ukban b. Nehemiah, and are attributed to Samuel deal with the relationship of Jews to the Persian government and with the relationship of Jewish to gentile law. These halakhot establish that the Persian law of the presumptive ownership of land is to be recognized even if it is opposed to Jewish law that the sale of land confiscated by the government for non-payment of tax on the land is valid, but only if the sale is because of non-payment of the land tax and not because of non-payment of the poll tax (BB 55a; et cf. BK 113b). Additional halakhot adopted in consequence of dina de-malkhuta dina are: recognition of the Persian rules for the transfer of land even if they are not in accordance with Jewish law (BB 54b and 55a); the right of the king to sell a person into slavery for evading payment of the poll tax and the option of a Jew to buy him from the government executive officers and to enslave him (Yev. 64a; 73b); a prohibition against cheating tax collectors and concealing assets from them, unless the taxes are illegal for the reasons mentioned in the Talmud (Ned. 28a; BK 113a); and the recognition of bills executed by, or endorsed by, non-Jewish courts despite their being invalid according to Jewish law.
Marijuana
(כב) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יקוק אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (כג) וְאַתָּ֣ה קַח־לְךָ֮ בְּשָׂמִ֣ים רֹאשׁ֒ מָר־דְּרוֹר֙ חֲמֵ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת וְקִנְּמָן־בֶּ֥שֶׂם מַחֲצִית֖וֹ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם וּקְנֵה־בֹ֖שֶׂם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמָאתָֽיִם׃...(כו) וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֥ ב֖וֹ אֶת־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וְאֵ֖ת אֲר֥וֹן הָעֵדֻֽת׃...(כט) וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֣ אֹתָ֔ם וְהָי֖וּ קֹ֣דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֑ים כָּל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּהֶ֖ם יִקְדָּֽשׁ׃ (ל) וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֥ן וְאֶת־בָּנָ֖יו תִּמְשָׁ֑ח וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם לְכַהֵ֥ן לִֽי׃
(22) God spoke to Moses, saying:
(23) ’Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of kaneh-bosem two hundred and fifty....
(26) And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony....
(29)And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy; whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.
(30) And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office.
(א) קנה. מין בושם :
Kaneh: From a bosem (sweet/fragrant herb)
(א) אין עושין פתילה לנר של שבת בין נר שעל השלחן בין כל נר שמדליק בבית מדבר שהאור אינו נאחז בו אלא נסרך סביביו והשלהבת קופצת כגון צמר ושער וכיוצא בהם אלא מדבר שהאור נתלה בו כגון פשתן נפוצה ובגד שש וצמר גפן וקנבוס וכיוצא בהן.
"One should not make the wick for a Sabbath lamp, whether it is the lamp on your table or any lamp that you light in the house...from something that the light does not come from the wick itself...for example wool, hair, etc...but rather from that which the light comes from the wick itself. For example flax, cotton...or kanebos."
“Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye said before his departure that he asked God to credit him for all the Torah and mitzvot of his entire life, with the same value he gave to the great Baal Shem Tov's heavenly thoughts (yichudim) when he smoked his pipe.”
- Ibn Mardachya,
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Igros Moshe, Yoreh De’ah Vol. 3, Siman 35 - 1965: Teshuva on Marijuana
Furthermore, he [sic] is creating within himself [sic] a very strong desire (addiction?), which is much stronger than the desire to eat, etc. which are necessary for a person to live.
Because of marijuana’s clear medical benefits, the Orthodox Union, which has rejected kosher certification requests from cigarette and e-cigarette manufacturers on health grounds, “would not have a problem certifying” medical marijuana, Elefant said.
Marijuana is a plant and therefore kosher certification is not necessary for the cannabis itself. But in New York State, where companies are vying for up to five licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana, patients will not be allowed to smoke pot, so they will have to ingest it in other ways — such as capsules, food or drinks, which will require kosher certification for Orthodox patients. http://forward.com/news/215113/medical-marijuana-may-soon-get-kosher-stamp-of-app/#ixzz3dlQC4vbe