More Advice from the Sages
Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Megilla, page 28a
The disciples of R. Nechunia ben HaKana asked him to what he attributes his longevity, and he answered: I never sought honor through the disgrace of my neighbor, and the curse of my neighbor never remained in my heart upon my going to bed, and I was liberal with my money.... “The curse of my neighbor never remained in my heart upon my going to bed”: This is like Mar Zutra, who upon going to bed used to say: I pardon all those who have vexed me... Rebbi Akiva asked Rebbi Nechunia the Great the reason for his longevity... Never in my life did I accept presents, I never nursed hurt, and I was liberal with my money... "I never nursed hurt": This is like Raba said: Whoever wipes away hurt has his sins wiped away. As it is written [Micah, 7:18]: "Pardoning iniquity and forgiving transgression": To whom does God pardon iniquity? To he who forgives the transgressions of his neighbor toward him.
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Love your insight Rabbi. Please keep them coming. I don't know if you know what an impact you are having on recovering addicts through your words . I for one am impacted.
Thank you. Good Shabbos.
Are there any biblical figures that had addictions. Maybe in the Talmud or Prophets? and if so, how did they deal with their situations?
I look at the Children of Israel in Egypt as being in active addiction, and their forty year journey as a recovering experience. If we look closely into it, we can find many enlightening lessons on how to recover, and how not to...
I remember learning in school about one of the sages in the Talmud whose father was an alcoholic, and would embarrass him in front of the other scholars. I don’t remember the details of the story other than that the sage was praised for how he treated his father. That sounds like an alonon situation to me. Are there other stories like this (or at least can you fill in the blanks on this vague story)
It wasn't a sage. It was a non-Jew.
It wasn't his father. It was his mother.
She didn't embarrass him in front of the other sages. She embarrassed him in front of the Romans.
She wasn't drunk. She was insane.
But, yes, Ben R., the point is basically what you said, that is, that he refrained from showing anger even though he was ashamed.
The sages held this story up as an example of how difficult it can be to properly observe respect due ones parents.
To answer your original question, Ben R, about Biblical personalties who struggled with addiction:
I don't know if Noah was an addict, but he did have a problem with drinking one time. They mystical explanation of the story gave me some pretty amazing insights on alcoholism.
Also, Lot, may have been an alcoholic. He knew that when he got drunk the first time, he landed up sleeping with his daughter and yet, despite being aware of the consequences, he did not refrain from drinking again the next night and ended up sleeping with his second daughter.
I told you it was a vague story, I probably heard that 15 years ago. At least I got the lesson right. Intresting stuff with Lot, But what was mystical explanation with Noah, wasnt it his sons who got in trouble drinking? (again I may be confusing details)
Noah was trying to correct the error made by Eve in committing the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve's sin was in thinking that the sensitivity to sensual experience could make mankind happy. She was wrong. For man's sensitivty to sensual experience is also what makes him capable of the worst kind of degradation and enslaves him to his need for pleasure stimulus.
Thus, Noah figured that if Eve failed to find happiness through sensuality, he would succeed in unlocking the secret to happiness through its opposite, that is numbness. When he left the ark, he deliberately intoxicated himself on wine so as to induce a state of insensitivity to sesnual experience. This failed however because instead he was abused and ashamed.
Finally, Sarah successfully discovered the key to happiness, not through sensual sensitivity and not through numbness. She rose above the whole thing and found happiness in surrender. Through selflessness one is neither sensitive nor numb. One just is. And that is true happiness.
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