WHEN WINE BECOMES WHINE

No Jewish ceremony or simcha can be complete without the mandatory cup of wine. Whether it is Kiddush on Friday night, the shevah brachot recited under the chuppah and at the wedding reception, at a bris or at a myriad other occasions, wine occupies a central position and plays an important part in our rituals. It is the only liquid that has its own unique blessing – whereas the blessing “she’hakol” is recited for all other drinks, for wine we recite the “borei pri hagafen” blessing. But despite its exalted position, wine, in particular, and alcoholic drinks, in general, possess a host of negative characteristics that are emphasised by our sages who warn us against its abuse.

In our parsha, the Torah states (Bereishit 9:18-21), “The sons of Noach, who emerged from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Yefet; and Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth dispersed. Noach, man of the soil, began, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and he was exposed inside his tent.” The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 36:3) is particularly biting in its criticism of Noach in this episode: “Rabbi Berechia said: Moshe is more beloved than Noach. Noach, who was originally referred to as (Bereishit 6:9) “a righteous, wholehearted man”, is ultimately called a “man of the soil”. But Moshe, who was originally called “an Egyptian man” (Shmot 2:19), is ultimately referred to as “the man of God” (Devarim 33:1)”. The Midrash continues: “Noach, man of the soil, began (vayachel)”. He became desecrated (nitchaleil) and profaned (chulin). [Both words have the same root as vayachel, ‘he began’]. Why? Because “he planted a vineyard”. Did he not have something more productive to cultivate? Such as a cutting from a fig tree or an olive tree? No! Instead, all he planted was a vineyard.”

One gets the sense from this Midrash that Noach is a failed hero. When we first encounter him, he is described in the most glowing terms. He is righteous and wholehearted in a generation of miscreants and barbarians.  God selects him – and only him – to be the father of mankind after the great deluge. But after a year in the ark, Noach has changed. He seeks escape. He wants to drown his sorrows and forget, even for a moment, the awesome destruction that he and his family have survived. His first act of planting is the cultivation of a vineyard. He craves the intoxicating taste of wine and when he starts to drink, he does not stop. He becomes drunk and his children have to cover his nakedness.

In parashat Vayeira (Bereishit 19: 30-38), Lot, Avraham’s nephew, flees the destruction of Sodom with his wife and two daughters. Following the demise of his wife soon thereafter, Lot and the two young women seek refuge in a cave. Fearing that the inhabitants of the world have been destroyed and that they are the only people alive, Lot’s eldest daughter suggests to her sister that they intoxicate their father with wine they had discovered in the cave and lie with him that night in order to produce offspring. They carried out the plan over two consecutive nights and each daughter became pregnant and later gave birth to sons, Moab and Amon. Based on this incident, the sages of the Talmud (see, for example, Eruvin 65a) refer to the level of intoxication that precludes one from making rational decisions as “the drunkenness of Lot”. At this level, Jewish Law does not recognise any contracts entered into by the drunken party, as it is clear that he or she was not in the state of mind to finalise an agreement. Similarly, should a couple be drunk at the time of their chuppah, the entire procedure would be null and void. This is the same in civil law. There are certain Halachic authorities (see Mishna Berura 573:9) that explain that the reason a couple fast on the day of their wedding is precisely to ensure that they will not be intoxicated under the chuppah!

The power of wine is succinctly described in Tehillim (104:15): “Wine gladdens the heart of man”. Wine has an enormous influence on the emotional state of a person, enhancing the mood of the drinker. It can also shut down the intellect and cut a person off from reality. Rabbi Chanin stated (Eruvin 65A), “wine was only created to bring comfort to mourners”, and indeed in ancient times, mourners would consume several cups of wine during the meal of comfort following the funeral.

Because wine has the ability to break down one’s defences, the Sages were very particular about with whom one drinks and how wine is produced. The downfall of the Nation of Israel at the hands of the Moabites (see end of Parshat Balak) was brought about because the Jewish men drank with the Moabite women, innocently at first, but ultimately leading them to sexual promiscuity and idolatry. Although wine is almost entirely made of natural products, Jewish Law demands that a Jew be present throughout production to ensure that it conforms to the highest standards of kashrut. The use of wine for idolatrous purposes throughout the ages also prompted the rabbis to ensure that kosher wine be produced to very exacting requirements.

There is only one day of the year that Jewish Law permits one to become drunk, and even then, only if one can hold his drink, and that is on Purim. As the Talmud states (Megillah 7B), “A person is obligated to become drunk on Purim until he cannot discern between the curse of Haman and the blessing of Mordechai”. Since Purim commemorates our redemption from physical destruction at the hands of Haman and his cronies, we celebrate by dampening our intellect and allowing our physical bodies to take over. It must be stressed that this mitzvah should only be undertaken by those who can handle their drink.  Furthermore, many great authorities are of the view that it is sufficient to merely drink more than one is accustomed and then to have a short nap because while asleep, one cannot discern between the curse of Haman and the blessing of Mordechai.

Many Jews grew up believing that Jews could not be alcoholics. Some still believe it. The myth that Jews are not prone to get drunk goes back centuries. The late Rabbi Twerski (cited in an article in the Jewish Report from 2010), founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, a non-profit drug and alcohol treatment system in western Pennsylvania, remarked, “Everybody comments that ‘Jews don’t drink.’  [There was a Yiddish idiom:] ‘A shicker [a drunk] is a goy.’ There’s still that stereotype. The name of the game everywhere is denial. But when it comes to Jews, it’s denial to the 18th power.” Wine can be a blessing and a tonic for the soul; it can raise our spirits and heighten our emotions. But it can also be destructive and dangerous. The choice of how to use it is ours.

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Liebenberg.

This week’s YouTube message: https://youtu.be/5Pguh6NiL7o?si=M83JBDrSX88HpxaN