The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (29b) relates that the prophet Eliyahu once met the sage Rav Yehuda, brother of Rav Sala Hasida, and issued the following instruction: "Do not grow angry, and you will not sin; do not become inebriated, and you will not sin." The prophet urged Rav Yehuda to avoid anger and intoxication, as both have the capacity to lead a person to sin.
The Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806), in his work Petah Enayim, raises the question of why Rav Yehuda needed the prophet Eliyahu to teach him about the dangers of anger and drunkenness. Is it not obvious that a person should distance himself from these tendencies, as they run in direct contrast to the values and conduct championed by the Torah?
The Hid"a explains that the Gemara speaks here not of ordinary anger and intoxication, which are certainly and strictly forbidden, but rather of contexts in which anger and intoxication are, strictly speaking, permissible. For example, it may be technically permissible for a parent to grow angry with his child as part of the process of teaching the child proper behavior. And on Shabbat and holidays, it is permissible and in fact obligatory to drink wine as part of the celebration and festivity. Eliyahu teaches us that even under these circumstances, one should avoid anger and intoxication, since they can very easily lead people to sin. Both cloud a person’s thinking and disrupt his rational faculties, which can cause him to act improperly. Therefore, even when a person is justified in becoming angry, and even when drinking is allowed, it is advisable not to grow angry or become inebriated, so that he remains in full control of his faculties and avoids wrongdoing.
This teaching of Eliyahu assumes particular importance in our generation when, tragically, so many people resort to alcohol and drug abuse. They use these substances in order to free themselves from the world, to leave behind their rational thinking. Of course, a person cannot possibly serve his Creator properly while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, since serving God demands attention and concentration. Already millennia ago, the prophet Eliyahu foresaw the dangers of these chemical substances and warned us to avoid intoxication even when drinking wine is encouraged – such as on Shabbat and Yom Tob – so that we retain full control over our rational faculties.
The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, 1135-1204), in his Guide for the Perplexed, writes that intoxication is a particularly grievous offense because it impairs the mind – the greatest and most valuable possession that a person has. The intellect is what distinguishes a human being from an animal, and thus one who disrupts the intellect’s functioning effectively transforms himself into an animal.
It therefore behooves us to avoid anger and intoxication under all circumstances, so that our minds, our most precious asset, will remain intact and fulfill its role of enabling us to properly serve our Creator at every moment of our lives.
