Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Frankly, I been smoking weed since I was about 6 or 7, and by the time I had hit 14, there was no stopping it and I can't live without it, it is a part of who I am. I wouldn't even read the bible if I didn't smoke weed. I have always suffered from ailments that kept me awake all my life and weed was my only friend through bad times and abuse.
I have quit smoking weed several times when I got the spirit lol, when I thought I would please God and sacrifice, ya know what happened?
After months of not smoking, every religious person told me to start smoking weed again. My mother who fancies herself a minister was ready to buy me some weed cause I am not normal without it. My Ex wife pleaded with me to start smoking weed again and every one who knew me said I needed to stop this foolishness of not smoking weed.
You don't want to know me without weed, I heard very many decades ago that if a person smokes weed every day for 5 years, he could never stop, and that was pretty much it for me, that was me by the time I was 12.
It's like pot has a chemical in it that makes me normal, I go without pot, and EVERY SINGLE IMAGINATION I have is evil.
I smoke weed and chill out and love everyone and every time I smoke weed, I get embarrassed at what I say on here, weed makes me feel ashamed all the time, not because I am smoking it, but because it clicks something in my head that humbles me, it turns me into a civil, forgiving person when otherwise, I would just be a jerk on edge.
It has always been a crutch and when my Mother would find my weed when I was young, I was always angry because I couldn't tell her why I needed it so bad, I couldn't tell anyone, and it was the only thing that made me forget my torments.
Hi, I haven't been here for a while, I hope you are all well.
I have a question that will require some speculation, but I am interested in hearing your opinions.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures (NT), there is a well-known story about Jesus spending 40 days fasting in the wilderness, being tempted by the Devil three times, and rebuffing his attacks by quoting a scripture from the Torah each time.
I understand from this forum that 'the Devil' or 'Satan' does not exist as an actual entity in Judaism.
The compiled books of the NT were originally written for a Jewish audience.
Can you comment on how the intended audience might have understood the stories about the Devil tempting Jesus?
Thank you in advance.
If one wants to presume that the texts were intended for a Jewish audience then one could say that the stories of temptation are in the vein of the book of Job in which the Satan is an entity which can take a position/side, or is just a literary construct and the story isn't meant to be taken literally.
In Judaism, the Satan is an angel of God whose job it is to tempt mankind and then prosecute the human after death for his behavior. Jesus' being tempted for 40 days (an allusion to other spans of 40 found in the biblical texts) is not so remarkable as people are tempted every day.
Hi, I haven't been here for a while, I hope you are all well.
I have a question that will require some speculation, but I am interested in hearing your opinions.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures (NT), there is a well-known story about Jesus spending 40 days fasting in the wilderness, being tempted by the Devil three times, and rebuffing his attacks by quoting a scripture from the Torah each time.
I understand from this forum that 'the Devil' or 'Satan' does not exist as an actual entity in Judaism.
The compiled books of the NT were originally written for a Jewish audience.
Can you comment on how the intended audience might have understood the stories about the Devil tempting Jesus?
Thank you in advance.
For a Jew the Torah is our source of life because it is our connection to G*d. The response to anything that distracts us or attempts to pull us away, is for a Jew to turn to Torah. The mind can't think two thoughts at the same time. When we turn (or return) our attention to Torah then distractions are deprived and disperse.
We don't engage with the distraction or battle it we simply "drag it to the the study house" (turn to Torah) and it loses interest and stops pestering us.
Our attention feeds it. So we give our attention instead to Torah and a starved distraction withers and dissipates.
I do have a question on a related topic regarding illegal recreational drugs. Some years back a possible shidduch introduced himself through a shadchan. He lived in a European country and I lived in USA. His semicha was from Israel. He also lived in Israel for many years and went back and forth between Israel and Europe.
He made it known that he used a psychotropic drug for recreational use. I said that was a huge red flag for me and no we are not a match. He said it is kosher because he only uses it in countries where it is legal. It is illegal in both USA and Israel. He only uses it in Europe.
If a person wanted to build a fence around the Torah wouldn't we avoid something that we know is illegal particularly if it is illegal in the Holy Land? This bothers me still. Also that he was a rabbi.
Please can people offer input. Thank you.
Plus it would still be NOT kosher for the other 5 reasons on the list above.
The fence he builds around the Torah is different from the fence I build around the Torah.
Bigger knowledge means bigger yetzer hara. I love that about Judaism. It is a master of psychology (as well as every other subject). Judaism recognizes that the more a person grows in scholarship and learning and fame and honor, then so too does our yetzer hara grow in cleverness and strength to seek to divert a person from holiness. Which for a Jew is living a kosher life.
Also Judaism requires us to examine and identify with honesty and clarity our motivation and intention in our thought speech and action. What am I doing why do I want this is it kosher? And tshuva after the fact for me is what was the transgression why is that transgression harmful what led to it how do I prevent it happening again how do I respond instead when faced with this again how do I build a fence around the Torah.
The video that Pruz posted lists six halachic reasons why recreational pot use is not kosher. For my own fence around the Torah i apply those to any and all recreational drug use.
I got to face my own yetzer hara whispering "he's a rabbi! A learned man! Prestigious match! Surely he knows more than you do! " that lasted all of about 12 seconds and i silenced the yetzer hara with "no we don't date people who use psychotropics."
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 07-04-2017 at 10:48 AM..
The fence he builds around the Torah is different from the fence I build around the Torah.
Bigger knowledge means bigger yetzer hara. I love that about Judaism. It is a master of psychology (as well as every other subject). Judaism recognizes that the more a person grows in scholarship and learning and fame and honor, then so too does our yetzer hara grow in cleverness and strength to seek to divert a person from holiness. Which for a Jew is living a kosher life.
Also Judaism requires us to examine and identify with honesty and clarity our motivation and intention in our thought speech and action. What am I doing why do I want this is it kosher? And tshuva after the fact for me is what was the transgression why is that transgression harmful what led to it how do I prevent it happening again how do I respond instead when faced with this again how do I build a fence around the Torah.
No,no,no. You need to go to your rebbetzin and have her teach you what yetzer hara is and the correct way it's applied to the situation you've just created.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
