By Kobi Nahshoni, Ynetnews.com
Shas’ spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, called on parents and teachers to act to prevent smoking among youth, a phenomenon which he referred to as “a breach which must be thwarted.”
Speaking during his weekly sermon Saturday evening, the rabbi said that “if a person sees his son smoking a cigarette, he should shout at him and defend him and stop him from doing it… A yeshiva head who has a meeting and sees his student smoking, should slap him in the face. What are you smoking for?”
Rabbi Yosef, who spoke during the sermon about the laws allowing smoking during holidays, stressed that dealing with the issue does not make it legitimate.
“It’s very bad. Whoever can quit – blessed be he,” he added. “It damages a person’s body… puts smoke inside his lungs, God forbid, it stupefies the lungs, the lungs can’t operate. There are people who die of this thing… Some rabbis have written that it’s strictly forbidden.”
The rabbi went on to slam yeshiva students’ habit to hand out cigarettes to their friends after getting engaged. “This is stupid. Why are you getting used to cigarettes? It starts with one cigarette, and then they get used to it. You want to give them gifts? Hand out candy.”
CUT CIGARETTE IN HALF
Addressing people’s addiction to smoking, Yosef said, “On Shabbat they keep on looking at the stars to see the three stars come out so that they can smoke cigarettes again. And there are those who hide a cigarette at the synagogue and tell the manager, ‘After the Havdala (ceremony at termination of Shabbat), let me smoke immediately.’ Poor things. They’ve gotten used to it.”
So how does one quit? “Stop smoking one cigarette every day,” Rabbi Yosef recommended. “How many cigarettes do you smoke? Thirty a day? Tomorrow have 29, the day after tomorrow 28. When you only reach 10 – is 10 difficult? Cut every cigarette in half. You had 10 – now you have 20.”
Rabbi Yosef also spurned Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman‘s proposal for a new tax on cigarettes, saying, “Now the health minister proposes making another shekel for every pack of cigarettes to get people to abstain. That’s a lie. What will this give? Whoever pays 20 shekels will add one more shekel – so what? It won’t do any good or bad.”
The rabbi also took advantage of the lesson to convey a special greeting to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “There used to be a king, the king of Persia, who was very sick,” he said. “I hope it happens soon to the president of Persia.”
read the letter’s.
try not to speak out of pure emotion.
and try to understand, the difference of psak halacha, and discussion.
if there’s a ban on smoking, based on ushmartem meod…. , then it open up a whole new window of banning’s, eating spicy fatty foods, doing dangerous activities, the list is endless.
LEARN a halacha, before you act.
i told her why don’t you get your daughters (in their teens) to light shabbos candles, to wich she responded “ovadia yosef said girls SHOULD NOT light shabbos candles till their maried”. Oh, he also said to give away land for peace.
The Frierdiker Rebbe prohibited smoking under 20, and over 20, he asked them not to do so, so it’s obvious that the Rebbe didn’t smoke.
One of the modern rabbis who have forbidden smoking was Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. Ever heard of him???
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef the spiritual leader of the Shas party in Israel participated in the governments thet gave rifles to the sworn enemies of the Jewish people and surrendered land to them in exchange for Shekels toward this institution that he preaches this nonsense.
DON’T PUT OTHERS DOWN.
IT IS LOSHON HORA.
HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE THEIR SITUATION?
the rebbes smoked before it became known that smoking is dangerous for your health
Frum jews speak loshon horah — nothing will stop them from doing this — and it is still assur!
SMOKiNG iS OSUR MD’ORAYSA YOUR LiFE WLL BE SHORTER BECAUSE OF YOUR SiCKLY TAAVA. CONTROL YOURSELF – DON’T YOU WANT TO LiVE????
ps: we cant bring a raaya from things the Rebbe dd privately you are judgng from a rumor AND somehow thnk the Rebbe doesn’t have taavas lke us
only some modern orthodox rabbis, gave a psak to forbid smoking.
in truth it’s very irresponsible, and they did it, just for political correctness, or just plain ignorance.
he does not (and cant)give a psak that its forbidden according to torah law.
he understands how irresponsible it would be, to forbid something that so many jews will be doing anyway.
we all could agree (smokers and non-smokers), that smoking is bad for you, and should be discouraged.
the rebbe smoked in occasion and the previous rebbe
For slapping a Jew, one must do teshuvah.
R’ Yoseph is right on the money. Smoking is banned by Torah-law — it makes you ill, it kills (the smoker and bystanders), it serves no useful purpose. It’s no better than smoking crack — it just takes a bit longer to kill you.
– but had to be said.
Such brash remarks about smokers is completely uncalled for.