60
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
APRIL 22, 2021
60
OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
I would like to discuss a topic that might be difficult for people to read, but nonetheless is an important one for both singles and married people alike.
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about smoking weed (marijuana) in the frum community. Many rabbonim are trying to stop it from happening at shuls and kiddushim. In some communities,
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
there are even massive ads and lots of money being poured into prevention. I, for one, have been at many a L’chaim where men are doing weed, both singles and married men, fathers. This concerns me in a deep way as I have a close relative who died at a very young age due to overdose but it all started with drinking. Many advise singles to ask the question, “Does he smoke” to references, but nobody addresses drinking, which is usually the way guys get into these things to begin with. Wine and hard liquor are given out by ba’alei simcha like a candyman gives out candy. Why are people addressing the weed problem but not addressing the drinking problem? And how is a guy who drinks on Shabbos any better than someone who does weed? Alex
Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
