Question: If drugs were legal, would it be permissible to use them to attain a higher state of spiritual awareness?
Rabbi Chapper – an Orthodox view:
To answer this question, we must first remind ourselves of the biblical account of the creation of human beings. The Torah records that we were formed from the dust of the earth and God breathed into us the breath of life, which means that we are an amalgam of both physical and spiritual.
Although we have a body, we also possess a soul, referred to in Kabbalah, as “a portion from God above”. Consequently, we are constantly pulled in two opposite directions, the body being weighed down by gravity and seeking comfort in physical pleasures while the soul desires to reunite with its source and therefore reaches for the heavens.
Rather than shy away from this struggle, Judaism embraces it and provides a tutorial in drawing down the spiritual into the physical world through the medium of the Torah and its teachings. At the same time, we are provided with the tools to elevate the mundane to become holy and instructed how to imbue routine with meaning thereby granting true and lasting fulfilment to both aspects of our existence.
The famed 18th-century kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto explains that we were created for the purpose of being drawn close to God and were placed between perfection and deficiency with the power to earn perfection.
We have to earn this perfection through our own free will and effort without being compelled and while being in an environment where a maximum challenge exists and with nothing to prevent the material from prevailing.
Any attempt to bypass this process will not only generate outcomes that are artificial, but they miss the whole point of our true purpose and what God desires for us, namely, to develop a close connection to Him.
Whatever chemically induced state drugs might enable a person to reach, it is clear that they would not attain true spiritual awareness, rather just an altered perception of reality, which is neither deep nor meaningful but temporary and of no real value.
A better approach might be to follow the wisdom of Solomon who taught, “Know Him in all your ways and He will make your paths smooth.” Nachmanides interprets the state described in the second half of the verse as a natural product of the elevated rung of service mentioned in the first clause. When a person develops an all-encompassing bond with God, Divine light will illuminate all their paths.
Whether or not the use of drugs would be permissible, they are simply not necessary for anyone who is motivated to attain a genuine and lasting awareness of God in their life.
Alex Chapper is senior rabbi of Borehamwood and Elstree (United) Synagogue
Rabbi Romain – a Progressive view:
There are two separate issues here. First is the legality of drugs. Just because something is legal does not mean it is advisable.
Cigarettes can be bought at every supermarket, garage or corner-shop, but we know that they are extremely bad for our bodies and it is far better not to smoke.
There were some 18th-century Chasidic rebbes who used to smoke a pipe in order to reach what they considered to be higher states, but our awareness of cancer means that age of innocence has long passed.
We also know that drugs are harmful, even soft ones, which can be corrosive to the brain over long-term use, while there is the possibility they can lead to use of harder ones.
So even if drugs can have heightened spiritual effects, the physical dangers would outweigh any religious benefits. Preserving one’s health trumps virtually all other mitzvot (such as ill people not fasting on Yom Kippur, or driving to hospital on Shabbat being permitted in an acute emergency) and that would apply here too.
The second issue is whether there are other, safer, ways of getting a religious high?
Prayer is one option, especially if it is treated as an exciting gateway to heaven rather than a routine task to get through quickly. The silent Amidah, for instance, can be used as a personal interview with God, while one can always depart from set prayers and commune with one’s own words or thoughts.
This includes Jewish meditation, be it focusing on an object (seeing the Magen David as a religious maze to find the Divine) or concentrating just on one word (such as “glory”) and delving into its depths.
Don’t forget lifting up your voice: for instance, singing the Oseh Shalom to oneself can be lovely, but when done with others around you and producing a sound that is a blend of so many thoughts, sighs, hopes and passions you create a doorway to places you cannot reach alone.
Other routes could involve nature and a long walk through a forest or along a river, appreciating the wonder and magnificence of God’s creation.
The joy of dance, the buzz from doing good deeds, the inner warmth of sharing with others can all be avenues that help us be at one with the Giver of life.
There are so many better options to get to God without drugs, legal or not.
Jonathan Romain is convenor of the Reform Beit Din
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