Chronic stress is killer. Please read this as can be killer.
Some people smoke to relieve stress. It’s an addiction. If we replace unhealthy addictions with healthy habits, like yoga, then these frum boys may have healthier outlets to cope with life’s stressors.
How many orthodox rabbis do you know who encourage their sons and daughters, and their neighbor’s children as well, to practice yoga? Join a mixed gender, religiously diverse group of people in fitness classes or sports? How about signing up their frum children for art classes at the local recreation center? Or drop their sons off at karate classes where they are the only religious Jews?
Smoking can start as a symptom of an unmet need. Or a frum boy may be smoking because his older frum friends and even rabbi[!] smoke. It could be a cultural influence.
If someone is orthodox in believe in orthoprax in practice, how is one OTD while smoking? Someone may smoke and not even want to smoke.
Do we say that someone who texts while driving is OTD too? Because it’s against the law, and definitely puts not only one’s life at risk, but other’s lives as well. Surely Hashem would not approve. We must obey the law of the land. We must not put ourselves in unnecessary danger. Thus, along this logic, if you text while driving, then you are def OTD. No question. ?
Are you really going to walk into a shul and ask the rabbi to step away from the ark because he must be an apikoros?
Would you seriously look into his baffled eyes and politely explain that you saw him buy cigarettes motzei Shabbos?
Is it just me or is Hashem the only judge?