As states across the country, most recently New York and New Jersey, begin to legalize the use and sale of recreational marijuana, we are seeing more and more challenges within our communities in both the halachic and hashkafic spheres. In order to respond to this challenge, the Conference of Shul Rabbonim of Agudas Yisroel, at the urging of Chavrei Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rabbi Shlomo Miller, organized a meeting of Shul Rabbonim to analyze this issue.
Senior Lakewood Rabbonim Rabbi Yaakov Forchheimer and Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz participated in the conference which was held at the Beis Medresh of Yeshiva Orchos Chaim in Lakewood, this past Wednesday night, and was attended by over 100 Rabbonim from the metro area.
Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rav of Agudas Yisroel of Baltimore and co-chairman of the Conference of Agudah Shul Rabbonim, addressed the conference, which was chaired by Rabbi Zev Cohen, Rav of Adas Yeshurin, Chicago. Rabbi Heinemann delivered divrei chizuk and hadrachah, and addressed halachicshailos from the participants.
Dr. Akiva Perlman and David Kohn, LCSW, CASAC, gave informative presentations regarding the challenges that the legalization of marijuana has fostered on our community.
Rabbi Avrohom Nisan Perl, director of the Commission on Torah Projects and secretary of the Conference of Shul Rabbonim, received positive feedback from the many attendees. “The job of a rav is to try to raise the ruchniyos level of his kehillahmembers. This asifah helps me attain this goal by being more in tune to their needs,” said one Ravwho attended the conference. “The maamad tonight was many things. It was vital, impactful, bakavodik, and a tremendous kiddush Hashem. I am sure that between the well over 100 Rabbonim that were there, 10,000 or more yiddishe mishpachos were represented. The asifah began a conversation with mesinus and koved rosh in which the Rabbonim will now be well-informed,” added another.
Um, alcohol is far more dangerous and concerning in Orthodox Jewish communities. Marijuana is a red herring.
All drug addicts say alcohol is worse; not so! Dope is Dope
It’s unbelievable what these Rabbonim go through on a regular basis. Every year or 2 a new thing comes out which threatens the fabric of our community. Cell phones, texting, smart phones, internet in the house, internet at the office. It’s unbelievable.
Sometimes I Iook around and think, legalization of marijuana is the LEAST of our problems.
Hatzlachah Rabbah to all the Askanim & Rabbonim
im glad the vaad told us to vote for the dems
CORRECT
NEXT TIME THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE
I used to smoke weed as a teen. I stopped for many years and picked it up again later in life. The experience was totally different now and I felt overall it was positive for me. I don’t think it is good for children at all while they are growing. But as an adult I have found the effects help me to relax when taken at the appropriate time and in fact I feel I have grown in my self perception. I also note direct and sustained actions I have taken toward improving as a parent which only occurred to me through my experience. I know that isn’t the standard, but that was what happened with me. I hope rabbonim don’t take a one size fits all attitude on this and develop a more nuanced approach. Something tells me they are not just charging ahead with a negative stance.
I hold down my sedarim with great chavrusas, my children are wonderful kids who are shtark in their learning middos and davening as well as having strong hashkafos and a feel for yiddishkeit. Our home is hardly materialistic. We are in some of the best yeshivos around.
I hope our Rabbonim will realize that while there is a danger in marijuana use, there are also people who use it responsibly and indeed feel they have improved in their ruchniyus through usage. Before anyone casts a negative eye on that, I’ll add that I work on myself as anyone else does. I have a dedicated mussar seder, have been by private vaadim with world recognized mashgichim as well. And well.. yes I feel that in striving on certain inyonim for over 20 years I feel the exprience I had with marijuana as an adult improved my ruchniyus in a way
If indulging in a dangerous vice helped you cope with the hard times, that does not make it anything less than a dangerous vice. Do not conflate a damaging coping mechanism with an appropriate “adult experience.” It is perfectly reasonable for Rabbonim to adopt a no-exceptions approach, your experience notwithstanding.
I recently gave a Chasidishe newlywed guy a ride from Boro Park home to one of the Belzer developments; his parents sent him away to Israel at age 15 & he was there for 7 years :
In the car He kept on telling me He can’t wait until Marijuana is legalized in NJ, it will be Gan Eden (heaven).
i wish all these rabbonim have a conference like this in regards to children getting accepted to schools
Please, rabbis and klal Yisrael, do not fall for the propaganda of those Jews who are set to make money off our children’s and their families’ misery. Pot is a gateway drug. It is what kids first smoke before seeking out bigger kicks.
Yes, alcohol is dangerous and needs to be regulated by families and individuals. But pot is another open path to destruction. If anyone knows a single person who got into drugs, it does not end with marijuana.
Jews so often go off the deep end with this. I fear Jewish entrepreneurs will try to buy influence with their ill-gotten gains.
I have a unique vantage point, I am a clinician and work with inpatient psychiatry, marijuana is dangerous, addictive and damaging.
In addition, as others mentioned, it is often the precursor to even more serious drug addiction רחמנא לצלן
Now more than ever we have to be protective of our young people, and the more insulated we are, the better.
Hashem yerachaim!
Oi. When will the rabbonim gather to combat the sexual abuse within our communities?
Or the massive amounts of kids running away from our communities?
The Marijuana is just a band-aid
We at OurPlaceNY.org had over 1,850 new neshomos come through our doors this past 12 months. Ribono Shel Oilom