27 Jan Addiction and Recovery; Parshas Bo, Pharaoh and Hardening of the Heart

In the beginning, Man was placed between perfection and deficiency and given the free will to choose to cleave to G-d. In order for there to be ‘free will’ there also needed to be the ability to choose the opposite resulting in not having that relationship; the deficient state. Both choices came with consequences, either positive consequence in the form of merit and closeness to G-d, or negative consequence in the form of rebuke (and the illusion) of distance from G-d. Desire overpowered intellect and the evil that existed in potential was released. A lack of symmetry that existed in the Garden needed to be restored. And so the mission of Tikun Olam began.

Addiction can be most simply defined as repeated negatively impacting use of substance and-or behaviour. This can effect a person physically, spiritually and emotionally. 

The result of the spiritual and emotional damage is what the Torah refers to as ‘hardening of the heart’, a barrier, ‘klipot or husk’ acquired as a result of negatively impacting use of substance or behaviours. Choosing G-d’s Will (the way of G-d and His goodness) as the guidelines of Torah prescribes, brings us closer to His Will.  When I choose My Will aka my desire, ego, Self Will or the way “I” want to do things, that may me be contrary to His Will.  I will then be creating distance in my relationship with G-d.  The negative consequence may be a klipot; shell or husk is created over the heart the causes a barrier between the head-mind (intellect-chochma ) and the heart-emotive (understanding-binah). This is the case with Pharaoh as his heart was ‘hardened’, and this is the case with all avera-transgression (sin).

Pharaoh repeated a negatively impacting behaviour. The negative consequence of the Plagues did not change his resolve and he continued on this self (and Nationally) destructive path.  A person (like Pharaoh) whos hear is completely hardened no longer has free will and is at the mercy of Hashem. We can then see at a deeper level how a person who reaches ‘rock bottom’ may have the opportunity to begin to experience G-ds Rachamim- His Mercy,  and with G-d as our partner, to return… to be ‘reborn’ anew (in recovery).

Addictive behaviour may sometimes be referred to as obsessive compulsive, ego overriding, self willed behaviour that can happen at many levels of the sub conscious and consciousness. It may be quickly or slowly destructive.  It should then be noted that addiction recovery is more than the abstinence of substance or behaviour. Recovery must include the rectifying the underlying character that cause this negatively impacting behaviour.

Lawrence (Leib Getzel) Lax
Addictions and Counseling
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com
lawrencelax.com