Op-Ed: It’s Not Chasidic to Drink, It’s Against Chasidus Part #2
by Rabbi Chaim Dalfin
Since yesterday’s Op-Ed was published regarding the drinking problem, I’ve received a lot of correspondence. This prompted a continuation of my previous Op-Ed and a second clip in regards.
Chabad Chasidic bochurim are special. Their learning and commitment to the Rebbe’s teaching are exemplary. Yet, the drinking issue is harmful and misdirected.
Someone commented that the Chabad Nigunim of Stav ya pitu, and Nezhe…chloptzi encourage drinking. This is wrong. Learn the Rebbe’s talks about these two Nigunim and you’ll see they refer to soulful experiences, not bodily ones.
It’s the context in which L’Chaim is said, that is primary, not the drinking.
Leaders & Mashpiim
Who is responsible for bochurim’s drinking culture? It’s their leaders and Mashpiim. They will be held accountable. There’s no excuse. When bochurim drink in their apartment during “Bein”, the yeshiva administration needs to deal with them as if they had gone to a movie or had broken into the yeshiva kitchen.
The bottom line is that more leaders need to stand up and say the drinking culture isn’t Chasidic. They need to stop it. They need to tell their Mashpiim if you’re under 40 you aren’t allowed to have more than four small shot glasses. And, if you won’t listen, you jeopardize keeping your position.
To end with positivity, saying L’Chaim can and should be a special way to serve Hashem.
L’Chaim
Tomim
Rabbi, you end by saying l’chaim but without a drink of mashkeh, saying l’chaim is like davening without kavana, going to mikveh fully dressed, making a cheshbon hanefesh with a calculator…it is empty and hollow. The saying of l’chaim was established when drinking, if you say it without drinking, it’s like saying gut shabbos on Tuesday.
ben yehuda
The Rebbe mentioned multiple times about the mashpiim that after a full night farbrengen would just pour back into the bottle the mashke that was sitting in their kelishkes
Lamdon
I think the last Rema in Orach Chaim clearly states the possuk from Mishlei: v’tov lev, mishteh tamid.Translation: A good heart is perpetually drinking.
ben yehuda
Megaleh ponim batorah shelo kahalocho
Lamdon
Maybe you can suggest another interpretation of the Rema?! A different spin?!
Lamdon
Hey ben yehuda, are there any other Rema halochos that you disagree with because they don’t fit nicely with your opinions and world views?
big lamdan
lamdan can start buy learning Rashi on mishlei 15:15 which is the source of the Rema – and he wont need to make a spin for a different pshat since rashi makes it clear that it mean tove lev is as if he is in a mishteh tomid – not that you should make a mishteh tomid
Lamdon
And thise that can’t fake it, “as if” they are in a state of mishteh tomid, should get real and achieve it realistically.
Anonymous
“Someone commented that the Chabad Nigunim of Stav ya pitu, and Nezhe…chloptzi encourage drinking.”
That was my comment. And, yes, they do. I have seen it happen with people who have more than passing familiarity with the Rebbe’s statements on those songs. They should know better but, nevertheless, “chap arein.”
There is a lot of work in store to de-normalize this behavior.
Tomim
Saying L’Chaim without the drinking of mashke, is like eating butter without any bread. Feh!
ben yehuda
Poetic. But wrong
Way past
Beating a dead horse
When will the mashpiim start listening to the mothers who have been crying for their sons for decades?
Alcohol is a gateway to drugs. Look how many CH teenagers are addicted to not just pot but heavy drugs, miserably ill on the street corners at all hours of the night.
Getting teens through our school system unscathed is a freaking miracle.
Ben Yehuda
Ahhhh. There’s never a bad opportunity to bash the school…….
There’s actually a big demand for more (and different) schools. How about me and you open one and we’ll finally get it right
worried
If a satmar chasid in Williamsburg has a 98-99 percent chance that all his children will be shomer Shabbos – and so does a Litvak from lakewood and we have 70-75 percent chance – maybe we need to recalculate
Anonymous
If it matters to anyone, R. Zalman Posner Z”L came to farbreng with us in K’far Chabad in the early nuns. We had a whole table set up with mashkeh and farbeisen. He said in very clear terms that bochurim should not be drinking at all. I think R. Zalmen and similar “elteren” very much embodied the character that R. Dalfin seems to be aiming for us to emulate.
Lamdon
In Darkei Tzion, a sefer/diary of sorts, written by the Batenura about his observations of communities he passed while travelling to Eretz Yisroel. Therein, he writes of Sefard communities that the men would have a meal before shabbos and drink heavily before going to shul, very inebriated, singing heartily t’h with great energy, for a long time 2 hour tefilas maariv. Sounds like our modern BEIN.
Lamdon
Further, in Darkei Tzion, the Baternura describes the shabbos day meal, of drinking large cups of mashkeh, saying 6 or 7 times “refuah v’chaim” (like our “l’chaim”), with snacks to munch on (farbeisin?). He writes that he partook and became very inebriated. Sounds very much like a farbrengen with heavy drinking.
Lamdon
The sefer is available here, and what I wrote is clearly there (in Hebrew):
https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=3738&st=&pgnum=15
https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=3738&st=&pgnum=16
Point is, the “Bein” and heavy drinking at frabrengens on shabbos has been a Jewish custom/tradition from centuries ago. Modern thinking is that it is not “politically correct” and needs to be Reformed.
anonymous
The only ones that drank 96% alcohol were the chassidim of yesteryear – “zeks un nyntziker”.