Letter: It’s Out of Control
This content, and any other content on TLS, may not be republished or reproduced without prior permission from TLS. Copying or reproducing our content is both against the law and against Halacha. To inquire about using our content, including videos or photos, email us at [email protected].
Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
**Click here to join over 25,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**
**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**
Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.
Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
**Click here to join over 25,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**
**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**
Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.
Yes, we should be getting down to the bottom of what is causing people to turn to alcohol in such a away.
Treat the cause
Peer Pressure. Especially for בוחרים.
100%. Peer pressure, trying to escape from reality etc etc
Even while they drink – they’re still davening!
beautiful!
Um no that’s not the way it works
If your statement is coming from a place of true אהבת ישראל, it is commendable. But, if it’s the natural desire to downplay Tefilah and the damage those individuals might be imposing on their surroundings- then you are essentially going to a holy place to condone wrong. There is a procession to reach that place. First זהירות then זריזות then נקיאות, the פרישות…..the end of the broad Middah of חסידות entails extreme measures of אהבת ישראל
Spoken like a true alcoholic.
Ah He has the glasses of the Heiligeh Berditchiver!! #wagonwheel #shema #IYKYK #DLKZ #MKY #AhavasYisroel
DLKZ doesn’t mean do whatever you want. Sorry
When I was reading a yenta magazine and saw recipes for alcohol beverages, I knew we are in trouble
Mishpacha just did a whole write up about it
Why isn’t it okay
!!!שוטה שבעולם
Keep on drinking & you’ll find out.
Aha
ok
next page…
In Eretz Yisroel the Yidden are heavily busy with the
גזרה
Of the students have to join the army and they have to close the Gemara. Recently a few hundred thousand had a peaceful protest in Yerushalaim.
We can be
משתתף
In their
צרה
By learning more and davening more and the extra Zechusim that we create can go to Eretz Yisroel and Hashem can do miracles suddenly.
Who needs Schnapps, if you want the real true honest genuine happiness, open up a Gemara Mishnayos
שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום
And also do Chessed this
מהלך
Will make you super happy.
Wine , which is alcohol, is mandated for kiddush, 4 Cups, etc. Shabbos zmiroses praise it. You can do your learning and drink within limits too. A navi who felt down couldn’t prophesize until he heard music or had some brandy to get him happy. We’re humans not malachim.
Well if you want to play that game. Check up the gemara in Sanhedrin what it says about drinking.
About the guy next to you smelling of alcohol. It could have been mouthwash..
so far this is the only comment that has a “din comment”.
Maybe alcohol spilled on him at a lchaim this week and he didn’t have time to take it to the cleaners
Trust me – I’ve thought about it. Either smoking or drinking. We who are not considered deserving to be included in the frum community, need something to divert our attention from the pain of being excluded. Just because we are not rich or super yeshivish noone should consider marrying our daughters? So far learning Torah has been doing the trick for me. For those who it doesn’t, who could blame them?
Wondering. I know many hundreds of people, maybe thousands. I don’t know anyone with a drinking problem. Am I the only one? What percentage of people do “you” know that have a true drinking problem (meaning, that drinking adversely affects their health, behavior or those around them). And then, what percentage does that need to be to be called a communal problem? Crisis? Not challenging, just wondering.
in the jewish circles there are many shuls where guys are getting slammed every week. this trickles down to the teenagers who are also getting drunk on a weekly basis. fathers coming home stoned to collapse on the couch. acting like total buffoons and being loud and talking crazy…..dont know if its a huge crisis but definitely causing shalom bayis issues across many community’s .
I have been to many shuls all over Lakewood on shabbosim, maybe I saw one person a bit high by a kiddush, what percentage is this? does anyone have real data?
There was a recent Bloomberg Poll that had that 26% of Men at Kiddushim get either ‘slightly’ high or ‘very’ high.
Pretty sure that’s false. Can’t find any data that says anything like that.
Unless ‘slightly high’ means they drank a reviis of wine…
It’s a joke! Pinky wanted “real data”!
Bloomberg retracted the poll… the pollster was tipsy
You may think you know them all but you don’t REALLY know them. Some people only their wives know about it. They drink a lot in shul or at home and they’re out of it the whole day. Sleeping on the couch, missing the meal, ect.
A 2015 study showed 20% of the Lakewood community has an alcohol problem. 10 years later, has it gotten better or worse. For sure there are more kosher recovery programs now.
Source please? I don’t believe the number is remotely close to that.
The concept of functioning alcoholic must be foreign to you. While you might not notice trust me their family does. They come home and pass out on the couch leaving their wife to make a meal for herself and their kids.
Actually alot more than you realize. B”H you have not been exposed to functioning alcoholics.
I remember in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, a heimische factory worker earned $3 per hour and with that $3 an hour they bought themselves a nice house, ate well, paid full tuitions, dressed everyone beautifully, made weddings without loans etc.
Today earning $50 an hour will feed your family, pay rent and nothing more.
Young people now have it very very hard thus so many are turning to drinking. And with teenagers those whom are geniuses in learning are looked up to and greeted warmly everywhere; but the others are hardly accepted and no one wants to look at them thus many of those rejected teens will turn to drinking as well . There is no easy solution for this problem.
It’s terrible times now! We need Moshiach.
surely those easier times for the little guy in decades past have no relationship with the wealthy being taxed much more. It is sad the people will have to learn what they learned in 1929. We forget our past so soon.
Here for the comments
At least he smelled like alcohol and not bad breath. I’d take it any day over bad breath.
To the guy writing the letter to the scoop, the reason why he’s drinking is because of judge mental people like you. stay in your lane and Daven to hashem . Don’t come to gods house and start judging his children
The other guy is the one that’s been drinking and you’re telling this sober guy (who has to smell it all) to stay in his lane….go figure!
If you have a solution we would like to hear what you have come up with if not we don’t need another article full of platitudes. Put it on the same file with all the other crosses.
Why not concentrate on the beautiful community we live in and point out to all the Torah chessed etc.. why always zero on negative. Get alive!
I grew up in a shul in Brooklyn. Two people would get drunk every Shabbos during קריאת התורה. The common denominator was they both needed a medium to avoid life. People pitied both of them and nobody learned from their ways. To the contrary, it was repulsive. It’s important to understand we don’t know people’s experiences and past and aren’t the ones to judge. One of those individuals always bought פתיחה to נעילה no matter the price. He would bury his face in the ארון קודש the entire נעילה shaking profusely. That individual has moved on to the עולם האמת and every נעילה his דמות of true ביקוש דביקות בה׳ is before me. As R’ Shlomo TZ”L would say- “you never know, you never know…….
B”H
Let’s imagine a different scenario. After davening, food is being served without alcohol. Someone starts talking what to other might seem loshon hara. Some go along with along. One doesn’t. What is the latter to do. Make a ruckass? No, go daven somewhere else. In the summer, when it’s harder sometimes to make a minyan, and they ask him to help them out, say I davened already, or I’m not ready yet. At some point they get the message and maybe they’ll change, especially if the one that left the minyan doesn’t discuss why he stopped davening there. Same here, if the davening is not pleasant because someone’s breath reaks of booze, and it’s someone whom davens there regularly, find another shul. That’s what golus is all about – your being reminded that we’re in golus. Do your personal teshuva for why we’re in golus. If too many are boozing it up after davening, politely decline to follow their example and if it’s unpleasant, find another shul. People, for sure Yidden, have seichel and they’ll know why you stopped davening there, and may be more prone to change where they see your changing makom tefillah was leshem shamayim and not to lash out at others. This might help to effect a change. Zy gezunt!
There’s a shul In jackson that banned alcohol by the kiddush so maybe he decided to drink before the kiddush?
Jewsinrecovery.org
depression and suicidality
Some commentators, in this and in other threads, are hesitant or remiss to wag the proverbial finger at behaviors that they do not agree occurring within their community. Why not criticize behavior that you deem ill-advised or hurtful?
Don’t know why people are hating on the letter writer. Yes it is true that people have tzaros and may be using alcohol to escape. Nebach on this generation that needs escape. One doesn’t negate the other. They can both be true.