Igros Moshe (CM II #18) Question: Is it possible to prohibit smoking in yeshiva and synagogue where there are people who are very bothered by the smoke and it causes painful headaches and other pains and physical problems and health issues and possibly shortens their lives.? Answer It is well known that cigarette smoking is harmful to many people. It is clear and obvious that even without concern for actual danger and illness, the mere fact that it is irritating and disturbimg to some people is enough reason to prohibit smoking in yeshiva and synagogue and all places where there are people who are bothered by the smoke even if it causes bitul Torah for the smoker. .
Igros Moshe (C M II #76) Question: Is cigarette smoking prohibited? Answer Even though there is a principle that G-d (Shomer Pesaim) guards the fools from harm when they do something dangerous. Nevertheless it is normally prohibited to rely on it Furthermore it is obvious that concerning an issue in which there are many people that it doesn’t harm their health at all such as types of food that many people enjoy such as fatty meat or sharp spices while for certain people it is harmful. Nevertheless we don’t prohibit the food for everyone. Everyone should avoid food that is not healthy for him. While you work in a hospital and therefore you see many more people who are sick from cigarette smoking than an average person sees in the normal population, nevertheless the amount harmed by cigaretts is still a minority. In this situation we do apply the principle of Shomer pessaim. Nevertheless it is definitely best that everyone, especially Torah students – not to smoke since there is a factor of danger and no genuine benefit to those who are not habitual smokers. It is best not to become used to smoking especially a father should not let his son smoke even if he himself smokes. Aside from the problem of addiction to cigarettes they should be avoided since a person should not seek after extra pleasures
Igros Moshe (YD II #49) Question :Is smoking cigarettes permitted? Answer Since there is concern that this makes you sick it is best not to smoke. However to say this is prohibited as dangerous is not possible since the danger is widely ignored and thus we say shomer pessaim. In particular since many gedolim in previous times smoked and the present generation smoke. Therefore even those who are strict because of danger, there is no prohibition of lifnai ivair to offer a light or match to the cigarette smoker
Igros Moshe (OC V #34) Question: Is it permitted to smoke on Yom Tov? Answer Many Poskim have discussed this at length. In reality it is a widespread practice and most smokers are lenient. In practice while there are many who don’t smoke because it is viewed as a harmful practice. And thus it loses the status of being the same for everyone but it is difficult to rule against what is an accepted practice, whether because of danger or some other reason, since even in previous generations not everyone smoked. In additiom since there are 100s of million people who smoke and that makes the practice considered equal for everyone. Therefore even though it is definitely best for a baal nefesh to be strict and not smoke on Yom Tov. It is difficult to say it is prohibited
Is shomer pessaim a standalone principle, or is it merely saying that because smoking only kills/ shortens the lives of a minority of smokers, then it is as if the majority are being protected?
ReplyDeleteSome of his teshuvos on this were written before it became clear that smoking is dangerous. Remember that the tobacco industry did a lot of hard work to push back against the Surgeon General and convince people that smoking was harmless long after the data came out. Then there's the whole Ultraorthodox "Goyish doctors, feh! What do they know?"
DeleteNot sure I agree. Surgeon general is the Gadol hador as far as medical advice is concerned..
DeleteIn other words, he has to take the beat scientific metzius on board, not listen to some yid from yu who's a regular doctor.
why is this level of sakanah acceptable, when in fact we are mean to avoid a sakanah - or is it that some sakanos have uncertainty, whereas this has a known statistical risk?
ReplyDeletefor example, we are told not walk under a weak wall. but do a majority of people get harmed from it?
It's inconsistently invoked.
DeleteWe don't serve guests before we serve family because one guy killed his family and himself over the issue.
We remove the bread knife from the table before bentching because one guy killed himself with it because of his grief over the destruction of Yerushalayim.
Meanwhile who knows how many infants got herpes from their mohels because of direct metzitzah b'peh but suddenly it's Shomer Pesai'm HaShem!
"to say this is prohibited as dangerous is not possible since the danger is widely ignored and thus we say shomer pessaim. In particular since many gedolim in previous times smoked and the present generation smoke. Therefore even those who are strict because of danger, there is no prohibition of lifnai ivair to offer a light or match to the cigarette smoker"
DeleteI don't see any explicit reasoning here. Neither halacha, nir sevara or logic.
Perhaps there are halachic sources which are not cited?
Maybe he means some Gedolim lived to 90 or 100, having been smokers when they were younger?
Tobacco kills up to half of its users who don’t quit
ReplyDeletehttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
To be specific, tobacco doesn't kill anybody. The effects of tobacco lead to changes in health which kill people.
DeleteFor example, tobacco doesn't give you a heart attack or COPD but it does cause the damage that leads to those conditions developing.
This is important because there are years of suffering from tobacco-induced diseases before death and that is also a consideration. Okay, you're alive but on oxygen and can't walk 50 m without chest pain and running out of breath.
This is interesting: it's implying that even Gedolim can get caught in addiction and seeking extra pleasures...
Delete"Aside from the problem of addiction to cigarettes they should be avoided since a person should not seek after extra pleasures
Igros Moshe (YD II #49) Question :Is smoking cigarettes permitted? Answer Since there is concern that this makes you sick it is best not to smoke. However to say this is prohibited as dangerous is not possible since the danger is widely ignored and thus we say shomer pessaim. In particular since many gedolim in previous times smoked and the present generation smoke."