Is smoking mutar?

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go…

Rabbi Avigdor Miller said in response to a question that one who smokes does not deserve a shidduch.

ASSUR. “venishmartem laod venafshosiechem” It is harmful to your body!

See the twenty or so threads about this.

To all the disbelieving nicotine addicts:

Here is a list of poskim who proclaimed smoking as an absolute issur:

Rav A. L. Shteinman

Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro

Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz

Rav Shmuel Wosner

Rav Nisim Karelitz

Rav Y.G. Edelstein

Rav B.D. Povarsky

Rav Matisyahu Salomon

Rav Shimon Bedni

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein

Chofetz Chaim

Chazon Ish

Rav Shach

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach

Rav Moshe Sterbuch

Rav Avigdor Miller

Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky

Rav Moshe Feinstein

Rav Benzion Abba Shaul

This a partial list. Each and every name here can be verified with specific reference. I only want to know the names behind the heter that is assumed. Permitting smoking is like chometz on Pesach or other maacholos asuros. The issur is severe, not just a chumro.

I have heard some proclaim that Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L was matir smoking. That is a complete fabrication. If questioned, I will provide proof otherwise.

I thought Rav moshe was Matir someone who Started before they knew it was dangerous, he said they did not have to quit.

More and Simcha 613,

Severely buthchering the posuk or the memra does not lend strength to your claim.

In addition, I do not think smoking is a sakanah. It is unhealthy, but I do not think that is the definition of sakanah.

There are big nafka minas l’halacha if something is a sakana.

For all the cranks, I am not saying muttar or ossur, but it is important to define why and not just use visceral reactions to say if and why.

it is not a fabrication that rav moshe was mattir smoking but can be found in igros. I am not at home and can’t look up.

based on what he wrote then, It seems to me that his heter would no longer apply.

but that is my conjecture. I have wondered if he later wrote or said otherwise, or if someone else wrote that his heter would not longer apply.

The little I know -“I have heard some proclaim that Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L was matir smoking. That is a complete fabrication. If questioned, I will provide proof otherwise.”

I’m totally against smoking. As a medical prof. -I’ve seen the devastating results of smoking.

I haven’t seen the Teshuva in awhile but the way I remember it is like this -It’s Ossur to start because of Gaiva, but you can continue, once addicted, because of Hakol Doshin Bo -so there is no problem of V’neshmartem.

Am I correct? This is what all the smokers rely on.

Even if he held Mutter, I hold nowadays he would say Ossur because at that time noone knew about second-hand smoke. How could it be Mutter because it’s next to impossible to smoke without someone – somewhere breathing it in? Even if there is a Heter to hurt yourself, how could there be a Heter to Mazik s/o else?!?!?

If I remember correctly Reb Moshe doesn’t even say assur rather he strongly suggets not starting and if someone already smokes he said shomer pesaim Hashem.

Those who hold that smoking is mutar (and especially, allowed on yuntuf) are relying on various Ahronim who 400-500 years ago approved of smoking after being told that smoking was healthy (they know about the high from nicotine, but not the side effects). I doubt one can rely on a pasak halacha that was clearly based on a specific scientific premise (“since we have been told by our doctors that smoking is good for you, it is allowed”) that has since been rejected.

every drug has side affects.

lakewhut -“I think the issue is starting smoking. That is probably because there’s a physical/psychological addiction that isn’t easy to overcome.”

Are you saying -really it’s Ossur but there is a Heter of addiction?

If so, did the person try whatever to get out of the addiction? If not, then he has no Heter! A minimum of the three-pronged approach would be required to consider that he is trying to quit smoking.

Oh you’re right!

The Gadol Hador must have missed that step!

Quick call him up!

Sorry, I apologize, he must have been “mis-informed” (That’s the great heter going around nowadays for everything right?)

“coke on a daily basis is extremely bad for you.”

But if you are addicted already then doing coke should be OK because it’s a tzorech (assuming you have done your hishtadlus to try to stop)

If the poskim really have assur’d it then why in E”Y is there more of a mentality to smoke? There are chashuve rabbonim in E”Y who smoke. In America, people lean more to the side of assur.

In my opinion, the poskim of America (R’ Yaakov, R’Moshe, R’ Shmuel Kamenetsky etc.) were against smoking. Torah Umesorah put out a whole video against smoking. They said it should not be done. In E”Y, although the poskim have assur’d it, no one has published out psakos against smoking.

I think the answer might be that nobody would listen if the psakos were published, but how does that figure out with all the other psakos in E”Y that are published?

What I find ironic is that R’ Eliashiv shlita the posek in Eretz Yisroel, assur’d smoking on Yom Tov, R’ Moshe Feinstein zatzal the posek in Americasaid that it should be assur to smoke on Yom Tov, but everybody does it so it must be a davar shavah lechol nefesh and it would be muttar, and yet there are ten times more the people in E”Y smoking on Yom Tov than in America.

Here is the main reference to the issur psakim against smoking. The sefer is called “Chaim Lelo Ishun” written by Rav Yechezkel Aschayk, published in Eretz Yisroel several years ago (publication date is missing). The letters of haskamah are open and specific. The haskamos are from: Rav Shteinman, Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, Rav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, Rav Nissin Karelitz, Rav Yerachmiel Gershon Edelstein, Rav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Rav Matisyahu Salomon, Rav Shimon Bedny, and Rav Yitzchok Zilbershtein. The other names listed in my previous are quoted in the text of the sefer. Most include the exact language. There is also a letter (dated Menachem Av 5764) that concerns the issur to begin the smoking addiction signed by Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, Rav Aharon Lein Shteinman, Rav Shmuel Auerbach, and Rav Nissim Karelitz. Rav Elyashiv added his signature to that letter. It is true that this letter addresses the issur to begin smoking, but it also states clearly that smokers must wean themselves off of it, and should never smoke in public places where it can bother others. However, in contrast to an earlier comment, this letter does NOT state that it is muttar to continue smoking because it is a tzorech. I request a reference to such a statement from Rav Elyashiv.

I also call attention to an earlier sefer “Pe’er tachas Efer” that addressed the issur against smoking.

There is also a lengthy psak about the issur against smoking issued by the RCA. This psak discusses all earlier teshuvos from poskim on the subject, including the parameters of “Shomer psoyim Hashem” which was mentioned in one psak from Rav Moshe Feinstein. This RCA psak is available online.

I definitely don’t think it’s muttar to smoke, in fact I think it’s assur gamur. But I was in E”Y and the streets are filled with people smoking and it’s a total israeli mentality that whenever you want you can stop and take a smoke break. You see kids not looking older than 12 smoking. On yom tov, everyone smokes it’s like a total heter. I’ve haven’t seen any sign in E”Y about smoking but I’ve seen signs about plenty of other things. In America everyone seems so more towards assur and all against it. Thank you the little I know for posting about Chaim lelo ishun. I guess I should check that out.

well i dont think you are allowed to, because its forbidden to do something that can cause death to yourself. That being said, smoking can get in your lungs and kill you so i don’t think its permissible.

If someone asked me if eating chazzer is mutar, I would have no problem saying that it is assur. I do not have to be a posek to know that. The same situation is true for smoking. Scientific research is conclusive that smoking is injurious to the human body, even a single cigarette. It is also clear that regular smoking causes a variety of illnesses, many with fatal outcomes. I do not feel that I am taking on an authoritative role as a posek when I state that it is 100% assur. Rather, I challenge anyone to find a heter for it, based on the current body of scientific knowledge. Don’t start with quoting a heter from rav Moshe Feinstein or Rav Elyashiv. Neither of them ever said it is mutar. Now, who did?

The question of ??? ???? ??? ??? may actually be a different halacha in E”Y and US. However, this assumes it is mutar to do altogether. The rate of smoking has decreased in E”Y, although it is far more epidemic in E”Y than in America. Those rabbonim who continue to smoke in E”Y have either disconnected themselves from listening to halacha (see the poskim above who paskened clearly that it is assur) or have decided for themselves that it would be too difficult for them. I do not know how to justify their behavior. However, with all the Torah knowledge they may possess, I would not accept any of them to serve as eidus by the chupahs of my children, since they are definitely being oveir an issur. Quoting poskim or others who spoke about smoking before its dangers were known is irrelevant to a discussion of halacha, since we must judge by the present accumulated information. And it is without any doubt that smoking is assur.

By the way, all those I know that smoke do so on Yomtov as well. And there is a serious question of whether it can be done on Yomtov even if it were to be somehow mutar at other times.

“By the way, all those I know that smoke do so on Yomtov as well. And there is a serious question of whether it can be done on Yomtov even if it were to be somehow mutar at other times.”

I have often wondered how smoking could possibly be muttar on yom tov (if at all). Even when lit from another source of flame, the act of smoking causes the cigarette paper and tobacco to burn down, and the cigarette butt eventually needs to be extinguished or it can be a fire hazard. This has never made sense to me.

Bocher613:

Your statement is hard to believe. I insist on references. Otherwise, I assume it is inaccurate. It is identical to claiming that chazzer is assur, but only the first time.

The Chofetz Chaim, in one of the maamorim in which he proclaims smoking as assur, highlights the submitting to an addiction as assur. One may be meshubad to HKB”H, not to anything or anyone else.

BOCHUR613 said, “I have heard In the name of many gedolim…”.

I have heard from many ‘now-deceased’ smokers that they wished they had stopped smoking when the world learned of its dangers.

I trust what I heard first hand, over what you may have heard many times removed from its questionable source.