Rabbi Gary KatzSmoking Marijuana on Passover
Posted on April 20, 2014
In honor of the coincidence of Passover occurring on 4/20 – an article from The Forward on marijuana as it relates to Passover.
The one thing that this article is missing is the idea that pot isn’t permissible acceptable even when it’s not Passover because of the biblical injunction to guard one’s health.
The other area they didn’t address is would it be permissible according to Jewish law if one got a medical dispensation in order to deal with the stress of one’s family at the seder.
Pot Not Kosher for Passover — Even on 4/20
By Anne Cohen
It’s that time of the year again — Passover and 4/20, the unofficial marijuana celebration day. On the same day.
The celebration of all things green poses a particular problem for the chosen people. Namely, is smoking pot kosher for Passover?
Sorry to disappoint, but it seems not.
In 2007, Israel’s Green Leaf Party, which supports the legalization of marijuana, declared that cannabis is among the substances Jews are forbidden to consume during Passover.
“You shouldn’t smoke marijuana on the holiday, and if you have it in your house you should get rid of it,” Michelle Levine, a spokeswoman for the party, said at the time.
Why? Because hemp seeds are considered to be kitniyot.
While biblical law prohibits eating leavened foods, rabbis have since extended the rules to apply to foods like beans, corn and rice. Hemp seeds, found in marijuana, falls under that category. So voila, no Mary-Jane for you — if you’re Ashkenazi that is.
Sephardic Jews have traditionally been allowed to eat kitniyot during Passover, so when it comes to 4/20, they’re in the clear.
If you’re really desperate though, there have been reports in the past of kosher for Passover pot cookies. Cannabliss, an Israeli company that supplies medical marijuana to Hadassah Hospital, makes them with matzo meal or potato flour.
As the ancients said: Put that in your pipe and smoke it. But don’t. Still not kosher.
Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/196693/pot-not-kosher-for-passover-even-on–/#ixzz2zSwsOvbg
Leave a CommentWhy do we use salt on bread when making hamotzi?
Posted on April 20, 2014
Hmmmmmm….not sure why, but I’ve been thinking A LOT about bread (especially pizza) recently…
My friend, Yochi Dreazen mentioned to me earlier this week that he and his wife Annie began to use honey on their challah (and even matzah) as a sign for sweetness in life and their marriage during their first year of marriage and have never stopped. I love that idea!
What then is the reason that most people add salt on their bread after making the blessing “hamotzi?”
Two reasons are often given: First, salt adds flavor to food. It enhances flavor. This is a reminder to us to live a life which is full of flavor! Don’t settle for bland and status quo – look to enhance your life.
The second reason is that salt represents that which doesn’t spoil and is eternal. Leviticus talks about a covenant of salt. It symbolizes a relationship that lasts and doesn’t spoil.
Both of these are reasons to use salt on bread as well as signs for us to remember in life as well as marriage. Whether you use honey or salt may we always strive in life and in our relationships to make them sweet, enhance them and keep them from spoiling.
Leave a CommentLessons of the Four Sons
Posted on April 20, 2014
The Four Sons/Children
Every child learns in a different way. We all have our own approach, identity, and way in which we learn. Cookie cutter approaches don’t work in raising children or in education.
The four sons at the seder show us that each child needs to be approached in a way that is best for them. There’s a lot of talk in life about the “right way” to be; the “right” clothes, the “right schools” to go to, even the “right way” to help people.
What makes something the “right” thing? Is it really the only “right” way or is it about our needs for perfection, our worries about how we are perceived by others, and a fear that if we don’t do everything “right” that we are failures?
I remember when I was talking to a friend and expressing my fear that one of my sons wasn’t doing the “right” thing, the conventional thing. She said to me, “Gary, you’ve never done anything conventional in your life. Why do you expect your children to?” It was at that moment that I realized that I was worried about how my son appeared to others instead of embracing his individuality and identity.
The haggadah is teaching us that it doesn’t have to be one size fits all. There isn’t one correct approach. What works for one person may not work as well for someone else.
Leave a CommentParsley & salt water – healthy shame versus toxic shame
Posted on April 14, 2014
At karpas, we balance both the reminder of the pain and suffering represented by the salt water with the symbol of renewal of the green vegetable. Why did the rabbis combine two opposing symbols into this one stage of the Seder? Why not just drink or taste a little salt water in order to recall the tears and suffering?
One possible answer is the difference between healthy shame and toxic shame. Healthy shame, also known as “remorse” is something each of us can and should feel at times. It’s the pain when we’ve said something foolish or hurtful to another person. It’s the embarrassment when we know we didn’t act in the right way. This form of shame helps us to grow and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes.
Toxic shame on the other hand is the feeling of “I AM the mistake,” or “I AM an embarrassment.” This type of shame doesn’t spur one on to better one’s self or act differently. Instead, it holds us back in feelings of self loathing and worthlessness which often seem only to be able to be relieved by some form of unhealthy escape.
At karpas, the rabbis have us get in touch with the suffering by having us taste the salt water and at the same time, they have us use a green vegetable to taste the bitterness because it is only by experiencing the suffering with an eye on improvement does it have a value for us.
Leave a CommentBrokenness – the beginning of healing
Posted on April 14, 2014
The middle matzah is broken at the beginning of the Seder into two pieces to be used later on in the service of the Seder at two different times. Only by being broken is it able to fulfill these two different functions. In what ways has brokenness enabled you to be useful at a later point in your life to yourself and in service to God and others?
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