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I live in Israel and its very common place to see young and old people alike entrenched in the smoking habit. I find this rather disturbing. Why do people want to guarrantee themselves an early death? I understand smoking is an addiction and very hard to overcome, but aren’t people supposed to be misgaber on their desires and listen to Hashem who tells us to take care of our bodies? By smoking all one is doing is succumbing to peer pressure and leeching his body of the ability to give one a vital element-AIR. Are the few seconds or hours of enjoyment really worth the consequences?
simplydevo, I was actually gonna bring up a topic about smoking and you beat me to it. I agree with you, and I think smoking is an unhealthy, disgusting habit thats a big waste of money. At the same time I do understand that everyone needs their outlet and if someone makes the choice to start smoking then its their choice and they have to face any consequences.
My question is why does it have to be done in public? If you’re so desperate, smoke in front of your house!!! Why, when someone goes on a “main street” (like ave J, ave M…) does there have to be a whole group of people standing outside stores and smoking? A. Why do I have to look at people smoking, its not a very nice sight. B. if you want to smoke, then dont make breathe in all the smoke? I never asked for it.
In America, smoking has become rare. I just spent a few weeks in Israel, and boy, did I notice the difference. So many people smoke, particularly young girls. Oy.
In America, the slow abolition of smoking has been the results of three or four decades of publich health campaigns, public service announcements, dire warnings everywhere, and massive education in the schools.
In the 60’s, I can remember that most of the adults smoked. They smoked everywhere, even in hospital rooms. It was considered rude to comment on their smoking.
Now that’s all changed, for the better. I hope Israelis can learn the lessons we learned in America faster, but Moses did have to wander in the desert for 40 years waiting for the Israelites to lose their slave mentalities, before entering the Holy Land. Attitudes are slow to change.
No.
i guess smoking is addicting and even if they try to quit they cant. its disgusting a person should know. eizeh ha gibor ha kobesh et yitzro.
B”H my husband and I don’t smoke. But people should be very aware of its dangers.
unfortunately even in america underage smoking is a huge problem,I think the reason they smoke is purely peer pressure.
Onces I was in Mount Sinai hospital in New York and I went to the room where sick people were having radiation and I met this woman that was very sick they had taken off her throat because of the cigarrette her eye was also affected from the smoke and probably her lips, nebaj very , very sick and guess what? she was still smoking, true story I saw it with my own eyes. Scary isnt it? Defintely she was killing herself.
There is no logical reaon to smoke. If you can’t crack the habit get expert help. Anyone who smokes is a MURDERER.
It is a very serious problem. I always look at smoking bochurim with a very disapproving look.
Smoking is killing yourself and others.
As for those who some on Yom Tov, may Hashem have rachmonus on them.
Mazca, I think there’s something called Berger’s syndrome, a horrible condition smokers can face that just shows how addictive this is.
That smoking is considered an outlet for a boys is a travesty that should be countered with as much energy and vocals as the age gap. If our boys need outlets, or show latent talent, let’s give them music, shop, etc. Now there’s this condescending attitude, nebach, your son NEEDS that mishegas. That mishegas can be valuable tools for life (e.g. shop) or vehicles of great chesed (e.g. music in nursing homes, etc.)
In Israel, boys and girls as young as ten, “openly” smoke more than the children in America. That is because there are no consequences for the children smoking in Israel, as there are in America. Whenever I’m in Israel, and I see a kid smoking a cigarette, I snatch it out of his/her mouth. At that age, giving them a pep talk isn’t enough to get their attention. Blatantly taking control of the situation is the only way to at least make some kind of dent.
The problem is frum boys and girls don’t know what it taste like to kiss a smoker. If they did, they wouldn’t marry one. And if smoking meant you couldn’t get married, you probably wouldn’t smoke.
Of course, if we started allowing kissing, it would probably lead to mixed dancing.
Haifagirl, I don’t think that’s the problem. The girls know enough about smoking – like lung cancer, second hand smoke issues for kids, etc. – to avoid smokers. The problem is the desperation being fomented that makes girls still opt to marry a smoker if it means getting married to SOMEONE and avoid being a statistic.
I have my own way of letting smokers know that I disapprove, I cough and walk around them in a VERY round about way.I know it sounds very rude
In America, at least, I believe that just about everyone who can give up smoking already has.
It’s my observation that some people can give it up relatively easily, while others have a real addiction problem, as severe as any drug addiction.
I think those who could give it up, have already given it up. The others, well, I think they may deserve our sympathy, help and prayers, rather than constant reminders that smoking is bad for them.
Ronrsr: I agree. When I see kids who are starting to smoke, I think, fools, if only the people who could help them fill the void would, etc. but I only have rachmanus for confirmed somokers.
EDITED in blue
yes, children just starting out on this noxious habit are a different story. They should know better, and it is probably our duty to tell them so.
I know some people who have such a strong addiction, that even the powerful drugs they use to overcome smoking addiction today don’t help much. It’s not because they’re weak-willed, either, there is something that is physiologically different about them. I am grateful that I have never smoked, and I have been able to give up other bad habits with relative ease, but I realize, from experience, that it is not the same for some others.
Thanks, mod. I’m heartened to see how careful you are with clean lashon. May I say this in my defense, in case people are wondering? It was a five letter word for fool, ixxxt.
it’s none of your business if someone is smoking in public it’s their right
well theres no point of complaing because its never going to stop
As long as people think that it is “cool” and want to try it, it won’t stop. My husband and I have tried to instill a certain amount of disgust towards smoking in our children. (I didn’t say “smokers”.) We make sure they know our feelings about it and we reinforce this repeatedly.
Once my son got a malboro beisball hat in the mail when he was 14 I threw it in the garbage before he saw it. He later told me he had accumulated cigarrete boxes from his friends in yeshiva to get it. ?/ Well BH he doesnt smoke.
Why would anyone even start smoking today?
mazca ha thats funny
I think it is the responsibility of the Gadolim and the RH. to tell Bochurim not to start. If they are smoking, start a smoking clinic to help the smokers quit. Alternatively the Doctors hopefully someone like an Oconologist could give a Musar Shmuz on the dangers involved. If anyone knows a Bochur smoking say tehilim (for him) and ask Hashem for help and guidance.
I will never forget, one Purim my father (we live in Jerusalem) saw a bunch of boys smoking, he took one out of a kids’ mouth said “venafoch hu” and made like he was going to put the lit side in his mouth. Seriously speaking, unfortunately Yeshiva’s see nothing wrong with it. Forget about the health issues, it is rude to smell up a room and it is certainly not classy. The finest borsalino will not make up for how disgusting you look when you smoke. If my parents were to hear about a shidduch with a guy who smokes, they would not listen to anything else – good bye.
Yankdownunder that is a good idea. They should also really scare the socks of the young guys.
Joseph, you ask why anyone would start smoking.
The answer is that they see their rebbeim and rosh yeshivahs smoking.
aaryd621, Yes, as Americans, we have many “rights.” But the moment those “rights” impede other peoples wellbeing, we give up that “right.” Freedom of speech is a “right” according to the First Amendment, but that privilege is soon taken away, the moment you use that right to give a hate speech aimed at a group of people.
Public smoking, causes second hand smoking diseases, which in some ways is like committing murder. Think about those you are hurting. C’V a pregnant woman’s unborn baby. A parent, a child, a friend, or perhaps, one of your loved ones.
yoshi: Sorry to be technical here, but is freedom of speech a “right” or a “privilege”? It can’t be both. A right is something that cannot be taken away. And so far, hate speech has not been banned in America.
But you are right about public smoking. That does affect other people. Unfortunately, many state and local governments have already gone too far, regulating smoking on private property.
FOS is a right, but the right only extends so far. You can’t yell FIRE in a theater.
Absolutely. But that’s not what yoshi said. He said “hate speech.” Yelling fire in a theater is not hate speech.
Sorry about all the misunderstandings regarding my previous post. I’d like to clarify my objective if I may. “Hate Speech,” as in the manner of a direct violent verbal/visual assault against someone(s), not in a general way of speaking.
It’s possible to be defined as both a right and privilege. It is a right if we respect and uphold the letter of the law, and not look for loopholes. It becomes a privilege when people abuse those rights, and therefore are in danger of having it taken away from them. It is referred to as the Bill of “Rights.” As Americans, we posses the “right,” to perform specific acts, which cannot be fringed upon by our government because we are protected by the Bill of Rights. But, there are various occasions, where the government can take away those rights if they are abused in specific situations.
Smoking is one of those “rights” which can be accosting others. Which is why different parts of the country are banning such acts in specific areas.
I don’t know of any place in the U.S. where just saying things is a crime. I’m not saying such a law doesn’t exist, just that I don’t know of one. If you do, please specify.
I think what you are saying is your right to extend your arm stops at my nose.
People do have a right to smoke. People also have a right to choose what behavior is appropriate or inappropriate on their property.
The problem with smoking bans is that governments have now declared what behavior is appropriate on private property.
I am not a smoker. I am just a lover of the Constitution and of liberty.
When someone starts spewing hate towards another person, and if his “freedom of speech,” has the potential to instigate a riot, or other dangers towards others, he has “overstepped” the boundaries of that right.
– That is what I was trying to get across, when I was referring to the act of abusing the Bill of Rights. A “hate speech” has it’s limitations.
None of those things mentioned constitute a hate crime as currently defined. Threatening another person is called assault. Instigating a riot is just that. I’m not sure about “other dangers toward others.” I have no idea what that means. How are my words posing a danger to someone else.
Anyway, this is really off topic. If you want to discuss the Bill of Rights, or any other political topic, I’ll be happy to join you in another thread.
Oy Vey! Don’t get me started. Besides the Fact that is is an Issur D’Oiraisho,
it has become so, that when i ask people not to smoke near me “can ya please take it outside” I get looked at as if I fell from the moon! Don’t these morons understand
that they are causing terrible damage to their lungs with every puff? How about the people who smoke in their house next to their little defenseless children.
Do they know that If they have problems later C”V, that they are to blame?
What happened to V’ohavtoh L’reiacho Komoicho? If you smoke next to someone who doesnt
& it annoys him, you are being oiver! Muliple Issurim!
HB”H created lungs & designed them to take in the purest of gases one that is totally clear & clean. So here comes a person who is so thick, he decides let me inhale the opposite of clean clear air, something dark & filthy, filled with carcinogens, poisons, & toxic metals for pleasure!!?
(Mods I know this is megillah, but it is L’toyeles Horabim)
Here is list of things found in cigarettes:
TSNAs
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.
Benzene
Benzene found in pesticides and gasoline. It is present in high levels in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this hazardous chemical.
Pesticides
Pesticides are used on our lawns and gardens, and inhaled into our lungs via cigarette smoke.
Formaldehyde; is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies, and is responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers experience when breathing in cigarette smoke.
Toxic Metals: Arsenic,Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.
Cadmium; is a toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as nonsmokers.
Radioactive Toxic Metals
Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous.
Poisons; Science has discovered approximately 200 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke.
Ammonia; is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in manufactured cigarettes.
Carbon Monoxide; is present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.
Hydrogen Cyanide; was used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.
Nicotine; is a poison used in pesticides and is the addictive element in cigarettes.
What I don’t understand even if it’s mutter, why don’t they try and stop and prolong their life? Nowadays we have meds and therapy that help you stop. What a waste of their lives.
An individual can quit only when they really “Want” to quit. Even with the Nicotine Patch, Nicotine Gum, Zyban, etc. doesn’t help. If they don’t have the desire to quit smoking, then trying to quit will most likely fail them. Sometimes life does force them to quit (shidduch, baby, family, friend, job, health). But if they aren’t careful, they can C’V fall right back into this dangerous habit. I’m not talking from hearsay, or from what I’ve read, this all comes from experience.
if you have never been a smoker or struggled with overcoming an addiction you have no right to criticize those that are presently struggling.
Yoshi, you are so right! I have a relative who smoked for 40 years or so. Sometimes when I would see him, I would tease him, warn him, cajole, etc. about his smoking. His answer was always, “Leave me alone! It’s my life and I want to enjoy it!”
I never thought that he would EVER stop smoking.
Well, he developed a cough that wouldn’t go away, and he went to he doctor. The doctor warned him he had better quit smoking for the sake of his health. The warning and that cough scared him. And he quit! I couldn’t believe it!
You know, years later he began to have heart trouble. His doctor told him that it was a good thing that he quit smoking, because he would be in much worse shape if he were still smoking.
So you are totally correct. If the person doesn’t really want to do it, nothing will help. Only when a person really makes up his mind to quit, will he be able to overcome it.
I now feel tense every time i hear the word “smoking”.
THROW IT AWAY FOR GOOD!
I was recently standing at a bus stop, and noticed a boy, about 8 years old, dragging something as unobtrusively as possible, on the ground, with his foot.
I looked down, and saw that he was rolling two cigarettes (used) on the floor, with his shoe, obviously going somewhere.
I was curious to see what he was doing, as I didn’t really think an 8 year old was cleaning up the sidewalk…
And then i saw him reach a small wall sign where it’s possible to hide behind, pick up the cigarette, AND TRY TO SMOKE!
Ribbono Shel Olam, he’s eight years old!
A minute later, I see he’s hanging around a yungerman, whose just standing there, waiting for the bus. And then I see why. He’s also smoking. And he’s waiting for the young man to drop it on the floor so he can have a puff. The little boy also keeps looking at these 2 woman police men. They too are smoking. He’s waiting for theirs, too.
He’s just waiting for them to innocently drop it on the floor when they are done, so that he too can feel cool, and “take a smoke”.
If you would like to kill yourself, I can’t stop you.
But must you provoke our children too?
I’m sorry if this came about a little too strong, but i saw a little boy smoking because he was trying to copy YOU. He’s watching you. He’s waiting for your cigarette so he can do it too…
You need to have the therapy along with the drugs in order for it to work.
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