Richard L. Eisenberg
By Richard L. Eisenberg
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Life How Rabbis Should Talk About Drug Addiction In Their Sermons This Week
While I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, my parents would sometimes talk about three of my uncles and their proclivity for gambling. No one said they were gambling addicts, but my uncles liked to play the horses and trade on margins in the stock market. One of my uncles also was involved…
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Life Dear Rabbis: Getting Over Addiction Isn’t About Repentance. It’s About Recovery.
“Jews don’t use” is often quoted as an example of misconceptions and denial about addiction in the Jewish community. Why is there such a deafening silence on the subject, especially in light of the current opioid crisis and the overdose epidemic? As a rabbi who worked with recovering addicts, I know we need to review…
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Life What Rabbis Don’t Get About Opioids. And The Consequences Are Deadly.
A congregant, let’s call him Joe, walks into a rabbi’s office and bravely discloses that he is addicted to illicit opioids. After a lengthy discussion the rabbi sends Joe away with a twofold prescription: 1. Start attending 12 Step meetings; 2. Start attending regular worship and study sessions at the synagogue. The rabbi seems to…
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