Rabbi Mark Borovitz

T’shuvah Hero: Rabbi Mark Borovitz

Mark Borovitz is an alcoholic. Mark teaches that even if you are a recovered alcoholic, you are always an alcoholic. Today Rabbi Borovitz is the rabbi of Beit T’Shuvah, a halfway house for Jews in recovery. Mark not only did t’shuvah, he now devotes his life to helping others do t’shuvah. Here is Mark’s story in his own words from T’shuvah: “Carry the Message of Jewish Recovery,” September 1992.

Mock Butts

One day when I was three I “did a geographic”. My parents were gone, my brothers were supposed to be watching me. I went for a walk around the block…The police from a different suburb found me and took me to their station. They took me in because I couldn’t say my name or give my address. The only thing I could tell the police was that I was Mock Butts. That was as close to my name as I could come. When my father did find me, his response to “Mock Butts” was to laugh and say, “That’s my boy, a real Mock Butts.” I remember his laugh showing love and caring. I spent the next thirty-four years trying to find more of that kind of love and affection.

Dr unk Bar Mitzvah

The next thing I remember was getting drunk at my brother’s bar mitzvah. Everyone thought I was cute. I got a lot of attention, and no one really got mad. I wasn’t afraid of anything. From then on I was on a downward spiral, just like a real alcoholic. My next thirty years consisted of chasing the people who didn’t want me and screwing the people who did. I stole money from my mother’s purse (and we couldn’t afford that) to buy things for people, or to just pay them to be my friends. My father died when I was fourteen, and my world ended…I was supposed to be the “man of the house.” I didn’t want the job. But I provided them with a lot of money, and I took away a lot with all the trouble I caused.

Going “Geograph ic” Aga in

In 1976 I got in major trouble again. I had dropped out of college and worked at lots of jobs. Some were legal; most weren’t. I was facing a problem for which some people wanted to hurt me. I was lucky that there was someone around who still liked me. My brother, who was in California, suggested that a road trip could lead to a new start. I moved to L.A., but nothing changed. I hit bottom. I got arrested for DU Is (driving under the influence) and NSF (nonsufficient funds) checks and even for grand thefts. I married a woman I did not love and had a daughter. I didn’t even know what love was. I was in and out of jails and prisons for the next seven years. In 1986 I was on my way to Las Vegas to bet on football and win enough money to pay off my bad checks and get myself out of jail. A cop who had arrested me before knew I had outstanding warrants and busted me again. I went to jail. God has a sense of humor. All my teams won. I would have won more than $50,000 and gotten out of trouble. Instead I was in jail.

Speak ing to God

In jail I was finally able to hear God speak. Suddenly I knew that I was supposed to fix my life. I asked to see the prison rabbi…It took him a while to get to me…When he finally showed up and I told him that I felt rejected, Rabbi Mel Silverman said to me, “How could I cut you loose? You are one of my own.” Everything started to change at that moment. That was the beginning of my return. Since then I got clean and I got out of jail. I found a wife and continued to study. I am a rabbi and spend most of my time helping other addicts to recover and helping kids not to start. Not bad for “Mock Butts.”

T’shuvah Text: Mark’s Favorite Story

This story is one of Mark’s favorite teachings.

Once the great Hasidic rabbi Zusya came to his followers upset.

They asked, “Reb Zusya, what’s the matter? You look frightened!”

He answered, “I had a vision. In it I learned the question that the angels will one day ask me about my life.”

The followers were puzzled. “Zusya, you are a good Jew. You are scholarly and humble. What question about your life could be so terrifying that you would be frightened to answer it?”

Zusya said, “I have learned that the angels will not ask me, ‘Why weren’t you a Moses, leading your people out of slavery?’”

His followers persisted. “So what will they ask you?”

“And I have learned,” Zusya sighed, “that the angels will not ask me, ‘Why weren’t you a

Joshua, leading your people into the Promised Land?’”

“But what will they ask you?”

“They will say to me, ‘Why weren’t you the best possible Zusya?’”

1. What lesson does this story teach? 2. H ow is it a story about t’shuvah? 3. H ow can you be the best you?

Your T’shuvah

You may not be an alcoholic or a drug addict, but everyone has a list of things they need to do t’shuvah about. What are three things on your list?

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