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The Southern Israelite Judaism and Prohibition I he Pro and Con on the Prohibition 'Question from a Jewish Viewpoint By RABBI LEON SPITZ Page 6 Prohibition right now is ius t about the most tom-id subject of discussion that Americans have had in many many months. From all sides prohibitionists and their fa natical supporters are being attacked and the straw votes itulicate that American pub lic opinion is returning to sanity. in this article Rabbi Spitz reveals what the attitude of Judaism during the centuries has been on prohibition and in his numerous and author itative quotations and refer ences from rabbinical and talmudic works, it appears that if the dry zealots know as much of the Old Testa ment as some of their leaders profess to know, they might easily and effectively find a solution to the vexatious problem.—EDITOR. The Prohibition Question has been eopened with much gusto and the Literary Digest affords weekly re turns on a merry balloting race in which 20,000,000 Americans have been invited to participate. The approach ing; Passover season—necessitating as it does for observing Jews a certain amount of wine for the fullfillment f traditional practices—renders it even more timely to bring out the es sentially Jewish attitude on this problem which agitates the nation— strange as it may sound—even more »iolently than either Bolshevism or unemployment. Judaism has something significant say on Prohibition, both as to its ■taory and its practice. The Bible, the Talmud. Rabbinic literature, the dchan Aruch (the code) tradi tional practice and the Rabbinic bod- of our own time—all of these re- some definite manner to this on * The position of the Ameri- an Rabbinate, is not however, either consistent, nor unanimous. The writer joined several years r: a gentlemen’s agreement with . * Rabbinical Assembly of the Jew- leological Seminary of America efrain from issuing certificates acramental wine, and yet only ‘ * ar a considerable group of his ^’ues decided to endorse Pales- wines in a laudable effort to economic distress in the dea our Palestinian wine- 5 .keep abreast of American ■ s * s obvious from the fact that ‘ar their exporters offer Kosh- ?rape juice and non-fermented liquors or the American Passover ina . ^his action must have been l' r . ^ b y the sanction of the '’ynagogue of America of Prof. Ginzberg’s recent decision that grape-juice does fulfill the ritualistic requirement for wine. The Reform Rabbinate has enthu siastically concurred in this ‘opinion,’ but the Orthodox Rabbis have held aloof and exposed themselves to the slanderous charge of bootlegging. It has, however, been adequately proven that the overwhelming majority of the Talmudic Rabbis do not even avail themselves of the privilege of certifi cation and leave it to their impecu nious sextons to supply the compar atively slight demand for sacramen tal wine. It is a well known fact that a good Jewish housewdfe manages to squeeze a little wine out of table grapes for her household use, in full accord with the indulgence of the Prohibition Amendment. And yet there is current an ingen ious rumour about a Bronx congre gation which offered u jobless Rabbi one month's election option in order to avail itself of his right to sign sacramental certificates for its mem bership during the Pesach season. Naturally, the Rabbi rejected the de spicable offer, and indeed such des perate measures are rare and far between. It should be clearly understood that a Rabbi (Conservative and Orthodox) is required to use wine for Kiddush on Sabbaths and holiday eves, for Habdalah on Saturday nights and particularly so on wedding and cir cumcision occasions, and at the Pass- over Seder table. This has been the Jewish usage since time immemorial and is part of the actual ritual as provided for in the Prayer Book and in the Shulchan Arukh—just as the Catholic clergy employ wine for their ritual. But not everyone seems to real ize that to treat one’s guests with wine or brandy on any occasion even at a wedding has no relation whatso ever to Jewish religious practices, but that it is merely a question of hospi tality, and serves not to earn a Mitz- voh but to quench a normal and hu man, but not essentially, Jewish thirst for liquor. Now, all of Judaism originates with the Torah, the Bible, and it is sig nificant that this source book of Ju daism affords some definite reactions to Prohibition. It should be remember ed in this connection that in the Ori ent generally wine is not drunk. The ‘poppy’ replaces it among Hindus and the Chinese, and the narghilla or black-coffee pipe among the Arabs, who are forbidden wine by the Koran. It may be stated however as a well established maxim that the Bible both countenances the imbibing of wine and disparages intoxication. In up- to-date American political parlance, the Bible votes neither ‘dry’ nor ‘wet’ but for ‘modification.’ Early accounts of the Scriptures reveal, in a quite unseemly light, the consequences of intoxication on both Noah and Lot, and laud the Children of Reheb whose lips never tasted the fumes of wine. The fall of Sampson, the Nazarite is attributed to his breach of his boyhood vow against in dulgence in “wine, w T omen and song,” and haircuts. The prophet thundered against the Drunkards of Ephraim, who reel with drink, “Woe unto them that are heroes to drink wine, and men of courage to mingle strong drink.” Indeed Isaiah would stand an excellent chance for a fat-salary from the Anti-Saloon League in view of his perfectly vicious onslaught against the night-clubs of olden-Jerusalem: “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning That they may follow strong drink That tarry late into the night Till wine enflames them.” On the other hand the selfsame Isaiah pictures wistfully, “for the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel.” The vine is distin guished for its excellence both in the Biblical books of Judges and Ezekiel. Again and again Holy Writ reiterates that “wine gladdens the heart of God and man.” The housewife is blessed by the Psalmist that she may be as a fruitful vine, and in the days of the Messiah each “will dwell under his vine and under his fig tree.” Liba tions of wine were poured on the al ters in the sanctuary at Jerusalem. The Talmud offers even more delec table material in this connection. The famous Rabbi Judah, the Patriarch, was constitutionally affected by drinking, and yet he persisted in using wine for Kidkush, Habdalah, and the four cups at the Seder. It appears that the Doctors of the Talmud were unanimous in their at titude on the wine question. Some, poetically inclined, compared Israel, the Torah, Jerusalem and the Messiah to the juice, and assured the Tsaddi- kim that as the guests of the Messiah they will be served from the YAYIN HAMESHUMOR, the precious vin tage that has been preserved since the Six Days of Creation in the mys terious cellars of heaven or earth. The Rosho was usually likened to vinegars. Certain of the Rabbis, who were also medicos, prescribed wine as a vitamin, “Wine is the greatest of all medicines, when wine is lacking, then drugs become necessary.” A more conservative colleague said: wdne in moderation is a health stim ulant—in sound accord with the opin ion of many of our present day phy sicians. Rabbi Huna said, “Wine helps to open the heart to reasoning.” Samuel, the famous Talmudic phy sician, astronomer and Royal favor ite at the Persian Court, advised the drinking of wine after bleeding to restore n person’s vitality. He felt that after a man has reached the age of forty he should eat less and drink more, and that wine will stimulate the appetite, cheer the body and sat isfy the stomach, an excellent preven tative in case of indigestion. To offset this, the fanciful notion was advanced to account for the ety mology of the terms YAYIN and TIROSH. YAYIN the Hebrew for ‘pauper.’ The implication is that ha bitual drinking leads to grief and poverty. The general principle of Tal mudic opinion emerges that drinking in moderation was healthful, but in excess harmful both physically and morally. There remains, however, to be added the explanation that in ev ery instance where the Talmul alludes to the use of wine, it is presumed that diluted and unfermented wine is pre supposed. Purim drinking is often apologized for by reform Kuhbis, and even Hen ry W. Longfellow seems to have known that it is a mitzvoh among Jews to get gloriously drunk on Pu rim to such a degree that one no longer discerns between Mordecai und Haman. Indeed, Purim jests and wine songs were especially impro vised, and even the Shulchan Aruch speaks of them as traditional. Yet the average Jews today knows from his own experience that there is very much more talk about drink than actual intoxication both on Purim and Simechat Torah, even in Chassidic circles. The present writer has at no time come across a single Jew who actually became drunk for religious reasons. “Wets” may take comfort from the following Talmudic statement: “After the destruction of the Temple many Pharisees as a sign of mourning vow ed to abstain from eating meat and drinking wine, but were dissuaded from issuing a decree which the pub lic could not observe.” The Sages of Ancient Israel knew human nature and were past-masters in the art of applied ethics. Ameri canized Rabbis have waved their right to sacremental certificates in accord ance wdth the Talmudic policy of DINO DEMALCHOSOH DINO. “The laws of the land must be re spected.” Still one may be skeptical as to the success of the efforts of an overzealous Middle-western American lady to introduce prohibition in Pal estine. American politicians may yet go back to Biblical and Talmudic sources for a practical solution of the “spirit” question that vexes the na tion. —Copyright 1930 by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.