Under the guidance of leading poskim and roshei
yeshivos, activists have already made significant headway
in curtailing the disease of cigarette smoking, thereby
making a great contribution to saving lives. Chazal tell us
"Kol hamatzil nefesh achas miYisroel ke'ilu kiyeim olom
molei." These words become even more relevant where
thousands of lives are at stake.
Yet obviously we cannot rest on our laurels and content
ourselves with past achievements; now that our endeavors have
proven to be effective we must press forward and redouble our
efforts, for there remain thousands of talmidim in
need of assistance in this matter. Now the time has come to
discuss the problem not primarily in terms of smoking on
Yom Tov, but rather halachic perspectives on smoking
itself.
Before examining specific halachic pronouncements it should
be noted that all of the poskim, including those who
have avoided making pointed declarations, are opposed to
smoking in principle. In Michtav MeEliahu (Part I, pp.
79 and 111) Rav Dessler maintains that smoking is merely a
form of tayvah, so strongly fixed in habitual smokers
that it distances them from the obvious truth and causes them
to cling to delusions and sheker. In Imrei
Binah (p. 228) Rav Y. Weinstein also recalls the story of
Rav Eliyahu Boruch Kamai, av beis din and ram
at Yeshivas Mir. One year when Rosh Hashonoh fell on a
Thursday and Friday, on motzei Shabbos he declared
that if it was possible to survive three days without smoking
it was a sign that he had no real need for cigarettes, and
therefore he stopped smoking entirely.
HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt'l, in his approbation
for Pe'er Tachas Efer (a short book written against
smoking), writes, "The drive to smoke is destructive." HaRav
Moshe Feinstein zt'l (Igros Moshe, Yoreh De'ah,
Part II, Siman 49; ibid., Choshen Mishpot, Part
II, Siman 76) casts smoking in a very negative light
both from a moral perspective -- noting that tayvah is
the only impetus behind smoking -- and from a halachic
perspective -- saying one should definitely try to adopt
chumros regarding smoking rather than seeking
heteirim, since a clear case of tayvah cannot
be considered she'as hadechak.
HaRav Eliashiv shlita, also writing an approbation for
the above sefer, adds, "Expert medical opinions warn
against the high risk to which smokers expose themselves and
those surrounding them."
HaRav Fisher (Pe'er Tachas Efer p. 45) writes,
"According to what today's physicians have shown, namely that
smoking is damaging and poses a health risk . . . it would be
ridiculous to say today that smoking is for health's sake.
Every heter has disappeared, making it once again an
issur deOraisa."
Gedolei haposkim addressing potential and beginning
smokers, have stated unequivocally that there is no
heter to begin smoking, and certainly young people may
not knowingly adopt a practice based on very shaky halachic
ground that is entirely inconsistent with upright moral
standards and has various other undesirable effects during
adolescence, a period during which one must work particularly
hard not to pursue tayvah.
During their lifetimes HaRav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul and HaRav
Tzedaka called on young bochurim to avoid adopting the
habit, and now HaRav Shmuel Wosner has also spoken out
against it.
In a discussion of the Rambam's use of the word
"ro'ui" (Hilchos Dei'os, 4:1), Rav Wosner
points out the contention in the Ritva (Chidushim
LeMaseches Shavuos, 27:1 Vehai) that "bad [foods]
are referred to as `bal tochal' because we are
forbidden to eat them since it is written hishomer lecho
ushmor nafshecho."
The reader is liable to misunderstand the above and conclude
that although smoking is clearly undesirable, it does not
fall in the category of an outright halachic prohibition. Yet
in his letter of approbation for Pe'er Tachas Efer,
HaRav Auerbach zt'l writes, " . . . his [the author's]
words should be heeded and the urge to smoke should be
entirely avoided," adding, "And I hereby give notice that I
never joined the ranks of those who permit smoking today as
well."
Included among those who explicitly forbid smoking are HaRav
Waldenberg, author of Tzitz Eliezer; HaRav Moshe
Stern, the late Av Beis Din of Debritzin (Sheilos Utshuvos
Be'er Moshe, Part VI, 105); Sheilos Utshuvos HaShvisas
Yom Tov (Part III, p. 134b); and HaRav Weinstein
(Imrei Binah, pp. 227- 29). After an extensive
discussion of the prohibition against smoking on Yom Tov,
Rav Zelaznik adds, "Yet in any case, I find it surprising
how anyone can smoke cigarettes today after observations by
many have shown that it is a great and terrible source of
harm . . . and how can we ignore this because of the urge to
smoke . . . ?" (pp. 39-40) and elsewhere he writes, "Perhaps
when they see the terrible damage caused by smoking it might
make them fear for their lives and then there will no longer
by those about whom we say, Umaklo yagid lo" (p. 254).
Similarly Rav Wolbe insists that the halocho says even
to shorten the life of a dying man, and even by one minute,
is considered spilling blood. Therefore "it should suffice
regarding this terrible phenomenon to warn every individual
of the great stringencies applied to the mitzvah
venishmartem me'od lenofshoseichem, for smoking one
cigarette constitutes an act of suicide that cuts five
precious minutes of life, and even one minute of a Jewish
life is worth more than gold, and readers should take
heed."
Such statements, as leading rabbonim have noted previously,
represent conclusions drawn from overwhelming medical
evidence based on surveys and examinations of hundreds of
thousands of people that showed the disastrous effects are
not limited to one or two untreatable diseases, which would
be bad enough in itself, but that in fact smoking has proven
to cause or aggravate nearly every serious disease, leading
to immeasurable harm.
Professor Sompolinsky has determined that today smoking poses
a serious health risk, shortens life spans and claims many
young victims. Beyond its immediate harmful effects, smoking
also increases the risk of malignancies, heart disease,
damaged lung cells and other illnesses. Professor Sompolinsky
concludes, "Kol hamekayem nefesh achas miYisroel ma'ale
olov haKosuv ke'ilu kiyeim olom molei and in many cases
young people were snatched away at a tender age due to a
habit that is of no benefit, but rather causes damage
needlessly."
Professor Gottesman echoes these sentiments, saying, "Smoking
is clearly prohibited for all of Beis Yisroel for it
poses a personal risk and accelerates the development of
hereditary heart disease, chronic bronchitis and lung
cancer."
Other distressing admonitions can be found in statements by
Drs. Meltzer and Eli Shusheim, and in an article written by
Drs. Hershkovitz and Katan. Dr. Lafaer, director of the
Respiratory Ward at Hadassah Hospital, says, "Among the other
severe diseases directly caused by smoking are chronic
bronchitis, shortness of breath, various types of lung cancer
and blockage of cardiac arteries . . . Smoking clearly poses
a risk to human life."
Passive smoking also leads to a number of severe diseases.
Says Professor Sompolinsky, "The smoker not only endangers
his own life, but also poses a threat to people in his
environment." Explains Dr. Lafaer, "People regularly exposed
to smokers are more likely to develop diseases such as
bronchitis and lung cancer." These inherent dangers are also
cited in piskei halocho that prohibit smoking in
botei medrash and yeshivos.
The opinions presented above are well-known fact, but much
like the Ramchal writes in a different context at the
beginning of Mesillas Yeshorim, because they are so
familiar to all they bear repeating in order to keep them in
mind.
Years ago HaRav Mushullam Dovid Soloveitchik, rosh
yeshivas Brisk, remonstrated against smoking by the
yeshiva students in the beis medrash. According to an
article printed in the Hebrew and English edition of Yated
Ne'eman at the time, "In his daily shiur HaRav
Soloveitchik upbraided bochurim who smoke in the
beis medrash thereby harming and bothering people who
find it difficult to tolerate. As is well known, in recent
years it was decided to forbid smoking in the main hall of
the major yeshivos, and now Rosh Yeshivas Brisk has also
issued such a prohibition in keeping with the Beis Brisk
tradition of being extremely vigilant and wary in all matters
of pikuach nefesh and shemiras hanefesh."
According to another story, "Once HaRav Yaakov Kamenetsky saw
me smoking a cigarette and the great tzaddik was
unable to refrain from beckoning to me. As I approached him I
was trembling, for I had never before had the zechus
to speak with him. `You should know,' he told me, `that you
are making a mistake by smoking. What do you need this for?'
I was flabbergasted. Later, those who knew him well explained
to me that Rebbe Yaakov used to smoke three packs of
cigarettes a day, and the moment the doctors told him clearly
and explicitly that he was causing himself irreparable harm,
he stopped this bad habit and has not touched a cigarette
since then."
HaRav Pinchas Sheinberg says, besides the personal health
issues involved, "One should always refrain from smoking in
botei knesses and botei medrash for in such
places it may constitute kalus rosh and negate the
mitzvah of moroh mikdash."
When HaRav Nissim Karelitz was asked by a melamed
whether he is permitted to smoke when there are children who
are bothered by the smoke, he replied that smoking is clearly
prohibited if it disturbs someone, adding, "And today
certainly a melamed must refrain from smoking in the
classroom for a number of reasons." In my opinion this is a
reference to the fact that talmidim, particularly in
their early years of schooling, are heavily influenced by
their environment, i.e. the talmud Torah or yeshiva
ketanoh, and when their role models do not display a
negative attitude toward smoking, or even smoke themselves,
this takes away all the value of any anti- smoking campaigns
since the children are being taught exactly the opposite
message. Furthermore, such an educator has failed as a
teacher, for his task is to guide the student within a
positive environment, and not to harm the child; to show that
Shabbos is more important than the cigarette that is
sometimes lit immediately after Hamavdil and well
before Havdoloh.
Children must be taught that venishmartem me'od
lenofshoseichem is also among the mitzvos we are
obligated to keep, and that we should strive to keep all
mitzvos as faithfully as we can rather than seeking
kulos, particularly dubious kulos. How can an
educator imbue his talmidim with such values when he
sets an example in direct contradiction? Not only educators,
but every other potential role model should be well aware of
the great responsibility lying on his shoulders.
If we truly want to save thousands of youths from the grave,
both literally and in terms of chinuch, we must
carefully contemplate all of the information and the words of
our rabbonim and gedolei hador, presented above.
