Below are points from which to build a D’var Torah related to addiction and recovery. We offer two examples, one relating to the Book of Life and recovery in the Jewish community, and the second on cheshbon hanefesh and the 12 Steps of recovery.

Rosh HaShanah

Inscribed in the Book of Life—Recovery in the Jewish Community
A D’var Torah focused on recovery in the Jewish community might make the following points:

• Language matters!  People in recovery aren’t trying to stop drinking, drugging, and engaging in addictive behavior—they have already stopped doing so. When talking about someone in recovery, use person first language such as: “a person in recovery.”  When mentioning someone struggling with addiction, person first language might be:  “a person with a substance use disorder.”
• Recovery is a “voluntarily maintained lifestyle composed of and characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship” (Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel, 2007, p.221).
• People in recovery need allies and Jewish people in recovery need Jewish allies in Jewish spaces.
• “A recovery ally is a person who strives to eliminate the injustices faced by people in or seeking recovery from a substance use disorder by championing efforts to support recovery, empowering individuals, and creating recovery friendly environments where individuals, families and communities can thrive” (OHIO, n.d.).
• 12 Step support groups meet in many Jewish spaces.
• Recovery friendly Jewish spaces welcome people in recovery, do not judge people for asking for help, and support those receiving treatment and their families.
• JCFS Chicago addiction services can help connect you with assessment, treatment, and recovery resources.

Cheshbon HaNefesh—Accounting of the Soul and the 10th Step
A D’var Torah focused on Cheshbon HaNefesh—Accounting of the Soul and the 10th Step might make the following points:

• During the month of Elul, there is a spiritual practice of taking an accounting of the soul in which one looks at one’s physical, mental, and spiritual actions and evaluates whether the actions fall in the growth category or the loss category.
• Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, z”l, the noted psychiatrist said that the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are really the Jewish spiritual practice of Mussar by another name. (https://www.torahweb.org/torah/special/2010/dtwe_12steps.html).
• The goal of Mussar and the goal of the 12 Steps is progress, not perfection.
• As you took an accounting of your soul in preparation for Rosh HaShanah, where are the areas of growth you want to continue in the new year and where are the areas of loss that you want to address in the new year?

Yom Kippur

Letting today be rock bottom
A d’var Torah focused on letting today be rock bottom might make the following points:

• People often wait for “rock bottom” in order to make significant life changes. This is true for people in recovery and people needing to make any significant life change.
• Today we fast in order to afflict our soul. This is the reason given in the Torah for why we fast on Yom Kippur.
• What if it was possible that a day of soul affliction could be our rock bottom and we didn’t need to wait to see if there were rocks below this bottom?
• Signs that today could be rock bottom:
  • In the Unetaneh Tokef we say that on Rosh HaShanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, who will live and who will die.
  • We wear white and some people wear a kittel, literally the same garment that people are buried in, as a reminder that Yom Kippur can be a near death experience.
  • Even the rabbi is talking about addiction and recovery! What more signs do we need?
• When we look around and see all the people here with us today, we know we won’t be alone in moving up from our rock bottom.
• If you think you might need or want a hand up from rock bottom, JCFS Chicago addiction services can help connect you with assessment, treatment, and support resources.

Links to 12-Step Torah Study Sheets

Thank you to Rabbi Rob Jury for beautifully crafting these 12-Step Torah study sheets.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Bibliography

Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel. (2007).  What is recovery?  A working definition from the Betty Ford Institute.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33, 221–228.

Borovitz, Mark (2016).  Finding Recovery and Yourself in Torah: A Daily Spiritual Path to Wholeness.  Jewish Lights.

Olitzky, Rabbi Kerry M. (1993). 100 Blessings Every Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Affirmations, Exercises for Personal Growth & Renewal Reflecting Seasons of the Jewish Year.  Jewish Lights.

Shapiro, Rabbi Rami.  (2009).  Recovery - The Sacred Art: The Twelve Steps as Spiritual Practice.  SkyLight Paths.

Steinberg, Rabbi Paul. (2019). Spiritual Growth: A Contemporary Jewish Approach.  Terra Nova Books.

Twerski, Rabbi Dr. Abraham. (1997).  Addictive Thinking.  Hazelden Publishing.

Zwolinski, C. (2020). May you have a day.

Grape Juice for Kiddush

Adults may choose grape juice over wine for a number of reasons: designated drivers, those taking medications that interact negatively with alcohol, those with health concerns for which alcohol is ill advised, pregnant women, those with family histories of alcoholism, or simple personal preference. Alcohol consumption is dangerous for some, and this is particularly true for individuals in addiction recovery.

Grape juice should therefore always be offered at kiddush (or whenever wine is present). Doing so sends an important message that you and your community are allies to Jewish individuals and families facing addiction or in recovery.  

As a prayer leader, referencing “fruit of the vine” rather than “wine” is a verbal cue that making kiddush does not require the consumption of alcohol.  In addition, we suggest simple steps to clearly differentiate between wine and grape juice if both are served.  For example, use red grapes for wine and white grapes for juice consistently from week to week and from holiday to holiday.  

Shofar blasts as a metaphor for recovery

The Hebrew verb for “improve,” l’shafer, has the same root as the word shofar.  The sounding of the shofar calls us to improve - improve our relationship with the Sacred, improve our relationship with one another, and improve our relationship with ourselves. The journey from addiction to recovery is not always an easy journey. The sounding of the shofar can serve as a metaphor for the spiritual pathways that lead to recovery. The teki’ah (a long, strong blast) represents one pathway to recovery.  For some people, one time in treatment, ongoing participation in one mutual support group, or even one radical life change is what brought them from addiction to recovery. Shevarim (a series of three short broken blasts) represents another pathway to recovery in which some people need a few times in treatment, a few different mutual support groups to find a best fit, or even a few radical life changes to bring them from addiction to recovery. Teru’ah (nine short staccato notes) represents a pathway to recovery in which some people find that it’s not just one thing, but many things in rapid succession - treatment, mutual support groups, continuing care, different people, places, and things - that brought them from addiction to recovery. The teki’ah g’dolah (a sustained long, strong blast) represents recovery itself.  Recovery sustains us from our first breath to our last and calls us towards continual improvement of ourselves and our world.

Recovery Celebration Ceremony

Birth and rebirth are central themes of the High Holidays and of addiction recovery.   Many people in recovery celebrate sober birthdays (the anniversary of a person’s sobriety) in recognition of the fact that recovery has given them a new lease on life, or perhaps has saved their life altogether.  Sober birthdays are often celebrated in 12-Step fellowships, during which members are given a cake on their sober birthdays. This is sometimes known as “taking your cake” or “getting my cake.” At this time of year, honey cake may be given in honor of our tradition.  May all recovery be sweet!

Some individuals have dietary boundaries as part of their sobriety. For example, those in recovery from overeating may have identified foods high in sugar as problematic for them. We therefore suggest a “Recovery Celebration Ceremony” that allows for flexibility based on the sobriety needs of the individual being honored.

Therefore, prior to planning a Recovery Celebration Ceremony at home or in synagogue, please speak with the individual who is to be honored about food-related boundaries. Alternative celebratory foods may be offered in celebration of their recovery, or a token of recognition and honor such as a floral bouquet may be given instead.

In synagogue, one might say: “(Name/s of participants) I invite you to step forward and receive your (name the food or alternative item) in celebration of the anniversary of your Recovery. May you find strength in following your program, and from the people, places, and things that support Recovery and may you be guided on your journey by a power greater than yourself. Yom Echad B’chol Pa’am—One day at a time.”

At home one might: consider having cake or an alternative celebratory food for dessert at one of your Shabbat meals to celebrate addiction recovery…that of someone you know or for all who are living a life free of addiction! If you are sharing your Shabbat meal with someone in recovery, consider offering a token of celebration (such as a bouquet of flowers or a festive balloon) to honor their recovery.

The month of Elul precedes the High Holidays and is therefore customarily a time for introspection, for taking stock of the year that has passed (accounting of the soul/cheshbon hanefesh) and considering the year ahead.  It is a time for seeking forgiveness by making amends (doing tshuvah).

A natural affinity exists between the traditional practices of the High Holiday period beginning with the month of Elul and the 12 Step process of recovery, demonstrating the principle that recovery can be for anyone.  For example, Step 4 reads “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves,” a parallel process to accounting of the soul/cheshbon hanefesh.  Making amends/doing tshuvah are also core recovery practices: Step 5 states that “{we} admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Additionally, Step 10 states that “{we} continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”  Addiction recovery can therefore be easily and seamlessly included in the Jewish community’s observances beginning in Elul.

Recovery Speakers and Stories

For those in recovery, the High Holiday period presents opportunities to gather for traditional meals with other Jews in recovery to honor the gifts your recovery has brought into your lives and to our community.  The High Holiday period is also an ideal opportunity for synagogues and individuals outside the recovery community to invite a Jewish recovery speaker to tell their story.  Speakers focus on the life affirming message of recovery, share the spiritual gifts they have received in recovery, and give particular attention to their Jewish recovery journey.

You might also make recovery stories of Jewish individuals available through social media, on your website, or have stories available to read for discussion; many have published their stories to help others understand their journeys. The Jewish Addiction Awareness Network (JAAN), a comprehensive resource website for information and connection, features many voices sharing Jewish perspectives on addiction and recovery.

12-Step Torah Discussion

A 12-Step Torah discussion combines the guidance of the spiritual program for living found in the 12 Step fellowships  with the insight and Yiddishe neshama (Jewish soul) found in the Torah. 12 Step Torah discussions live in connections between the 12 Steps and Jewish holidays (Ozarowski, n.d.), the character development and spiritual growth practices of Mussar (Twerski, 2010),  or specific insights into the weekly Torah portion/parsha (Harris, 2017). During Elul, consider holding a 12-Step Torah discussion by integrating one of the 12 Steps into a Mussar group, a parsha class, an informal meeting at a coffee shop or home, or a special class on Jewish connections with the 12 Steps. Finding Recovery and Yourself in Torah (Borovitz, 2016) and Renewal Each Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible (Olitzky & Z., 1992) are two books that connect the weekly Torah portion/parshat hashavua with the 12 Steps. Both books can serve as inspiration for connecting 12-Steps and Torah, include questions on the parsha, and can be the foundation of a traditional meal or afternoon discussion at home or in shul.

Open 12 Step meeting

12 Step addiction recovery meetings, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Al-Anon and many others, are characterized as either “closed” or “open.”  A “closed” meeting is for people who are active in that program or have interest in becoming so.  “Open” meetings are for anyone who would like to learn about recovery.  We encourage individuals to attend open meetings during Elul in order to learn more about addiction recovery; one might go along with a loved one who is active in a 12 Step fellowship.  For synagogues that have 12 Step meetings in the building, consider talking with the meeting coordinator about involving the congregants in an open meeting during Elul to show your community’s support for and interest in recovery.  If your congregation does not currently have recovery meetings on location, please contact addiction services at JCFS Chicago for more information on becoming a place for this essential service.

Recovery from addiction is a holistic experience of well-being, encompassing physical, emotional, and spiritual health and the commitment to maintain and enhance gains in all of these areas.  The Betty Ford Institute, a leader in addiction treatment and education, has defined recovery as a “voluntarily maintained lifestyle composed of and characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship” (Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel, 2007, p.221).

In this sense, “recovery” is not only for those with histories of addiction but can include all human striving for well-being.  Many of us (some would say most of us) struggle with compulsive behaviors to soothe painful feelings that can lead us into difficulties with our responsibilities and relationships.  Therefore, recovery can be for anyone. 

The wisdom in addiction recovery traditions have much to teach.  Individuals and families in recovery and Jewish communal organizations play a critical role in supporting addiction recovery, including those working a recovery program, those who are at risk for addiction disorders and their families, and all community members who struggle with stressors both large and small. 

This resource suggests ways for individuals, families, synagogues, and other communal organizations to incorporate addiction recovery themes into High Holiday observances.  The offerings begin with Elul and continue through the Yom Kippur break-fast and include ways to integrate recovery language and concepts into Jewish practices through the inclusion of recovery speakers, special readings and kavanot (intentions), topics for Divrei Torah, and 12-Step Torah study sheets.  We hope this resource guide inspires you and/or your community to be inclusive of those in recovery, those at risk, and everyone who strives for greater wholeness.  We at JCFS Chicago addiction resources are here to assist as you consider how you might integrate these practices. 

A note on suggested readings and prayers

Throughout this guide, readings and prayers referencing addiction recovery are suggested for inclusion during the High Holiday period.  Prayer leaders in homes and synagogues may consider asking those who are in addiction recovery to read passages during meals, study sessions, or prayer services.  Allies of those in recovery (loved ones, friends, or any supportive individual) might also be asked to take this role.  Members in recovery and their allies can often be identified by putting out a request to one’s social circle or via social media, newsletters, and emails: simply ask those in your networks and communities to volunteer as readers.  Alternatively, individuals and congregations might invite Jews in addiction recovery outside of current circles to participate in services or meals.

Often individuals in addiction recovery will share their personal story of recovery if asked; such candid and inspirational sharing is a powerful addition to any setting.  JCFS Chicago addiction resources is happy to provide assistance with identifying volunteers from within or outside your communities. 

JCFS Chicago gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Rabbi Rob Jury to many elements of this High Holiday Addiction Recovery Guide.

View our High Holiday Addiction Recovery Guide