Q: Is there anything wrong with smoking only one cigarette a day?
A: If you’ll give me a contract that it won’t be more than one cigarette, I’ll agree. But since you cannot give such a contract, you have to know it’s the beginning of a career of chain smoking. Eventually that’s what happens.
You have to know that in all things there’s a principle: The first step is what’s most important. Someday I’ll talk about that bli neder. The first step! Be careful with that first step!
Let’s say you’re going someplace on the street and somebody starts walking with you and he says, “Come into this place with me,” and so you walk in with him. You have to know that the first step you just took is the beginning of a career either upward to Hakodosh Boruch Hu or down to Gehinom. It depends where he’s taking you. Just one step!
If you look back, you’ll see in your career somebody persuaded you to take one step in the right direction! And therefore the first cigarette is the beginning of the end.
Every bad habit is the beginning of the end: Drugs (Dope) regardless of rehabs and being clean for while your done; Alcoholism people get out of it but very few; Smoking or Obesity the very mentally strong can overcome it but most fall victim to it.
I am not one that can argue on R Avigdor Miller. And I won’t. But this day and age we are holding in a place much worse than the days of Rabbi Miller. The content that is available for every young teen boy, at his fingertips, on a smartphone wasnt in existence back than. I personally know of a case where a mother of a boy is losing herself over the fact that her son is smoking. Little does she know, he has a smartphone and is accessing lo aleinu things he shouldn’t be. We really have to decide if it makes sense today to still be so strong about smoking. Or maybe compared to other things a teen can entangle himself in, smoking may be comparably a better way to let off steam. And maybe we shouldnt fight it as we used to. Let me be clear this is not Daas Torah, and yes you should ask your LOR. I am just making an observation. Would love to hear your opinions.
R’ Miller’s words have so much wisdon. I occassionally smoke 1 or 2 a day but if Im not careful, it can easily escalate to half a pack a day.
As for psak” – I happen to agree with you. I let my kids smoke starting from 10th grade. I even buy them cigarettes till they become legal age.
And it’s a great bonding time for us. Having a beer and a smoke before shabbos &/or a coffee and a cigarette on Motzei Shabbos with my sons, on the deck – ah…Geshmak !!
And if it keeps them away from serious aveiros, all the better !!
To How True
You are a HUGE FOOL. Teaching your kids to smoke it is the dumbest thing I’ve heard. You have taught your kids to murder. Bond over a game of chess, basketball. With all the money you have wasted on cigarettes you could have bought a pool table. Breathing in secondhand smoke and smoking causes cancer. I personally know young people who have died from lung cancer because of smoking. Your children should be taken away from you. You’ve endangered the welfare of a child. Hashem should help you mentally. Think about it before you criticize. Ask a Rov and a doctor. Bonding over a sport is so much healthier for the body mind and the Neshama. And a woman who marries a smoker is also a fool. Your family… I feel bad. Smoking IS a serious aveira. See smoking has already killed your brain cells. Murder is assur.
The main thing is that kids should be keep busy and engaged so that they are not looking for other things. I first learned in a very yeshivish place where all they did was learning all day so a lot of kids turned to smoking as an outlet. When I went to a bais medrash that allowed night college and early dating etc. the boys were so busy between everything that I don’t remember even a single person smoking. Give the boys outlets.
To How True. You are a HUGE FOOL. Teaching your kids to smoke is the dumbest thing I’ve heard. You’ve taught your kids to murder? Bond over a game of chess, basketball ball. With all the money you’ve wasted on cigarettes you could have bought a pool table. Breathing in secondhand smoke and smoking causes cancer. I personally know young people who have died from lung cancer from smoking. Your children should be taken away from you. You’ve endangered the welfare of a child. Hashem should help you mentally. Think about it before you criticize. Ask a Rov and a doctor. Bonding over a sport is so much healthier for the body mind and Neshama.
don’t poison yourself!