The talmidim of 8th grade of Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Crown Heights learned about the effects of alcohol (AKA “Mashke”), both from a medical perspective, as well as from the Rebbe’s perspective and guidelines. This is just one class of the 2-year-long series of important class discussions for the older boys of Lubavitcher Yeshiva.
Every week, Rabbi Moishy Goldstein visits all 7th and 8th-grade classes and discusses relevant topics of Yiddishkeit, Chassidshkeit and life lessons with the Talmidim. The classes are accompanied by engaging PowerPoint presentations and provide the opportunity for questions and class discussions on the important subjects that are discussed.
The topics include peer pressure, healthy technology use, mobile addiction, Avodas Hatefillah, Chitas, Shmiras Ho’einaim, and many more topics, starting at the beginning of 7th grade and concluding at the end of 8th grade.
“I’m basically presenting them with everything I wish I would have known when I was their age,” is how Rabbi Goldstein put it. As a part of this discussion, each Talmid received an original booklet titled “Quotes From the Rebbe About Mashke,” along with a summary sheet of the Rebbe’s guidelines.
Download here here
Quotes From the Rebbe About Mashke
In addition, Menahel Rabbi Yosef Simpson presents the 8th-grade classes with a two-part series on Kedusha and Tahara. He discusses the particular challenges that adolescents face and Torah-grounded advice on how to successfully navigate these turbulent years.
Let’s hope that this great trend continues and our Yeshivos will teach our 8th graders about the dangers of internet shmutz etc… so that our sons will be much better equipped to deal with the inevitable….
Yasher Koach to LYCH!!!
it is so important!
So IMPORTANT!!
Too many Bochurim have and are presently so misinformed that excessive drinking is NOT a Chassidishe Hanhaga and goes completely again the CLEAR Horroas of the Rebbe. It is on audio how the Rebbe clearly says that there are no “pshetlech” to his Takanos.
Early education like this will IYH help many not to fall in this atzas hayetzer and prevent addiction.
Kol HaKavod.
All our Chadarim should follow your lead!
I wish I had this when I was that age…
It’s quite telling of our system that young eighth graders must be taught of the ills of excessive alcohol consumption. I mean, in which society do thirteen-year-olds need to be warned against drinking? I’m not saying it’s not necessary; extreme drinking often starts in shiur alef mesivta. But why is that the case? Isn’t it absurd that children at that young age are served alcohol? Far more effective than teaching young boys that drinking is bad, is teaching the staff of Yeshivas that serving alcohol to these undeveloped children is bad. It’s the staff of the Yeshivas that arrange and… Read more »
In Every school system children are taught a lot earlier about a lot worse things such as drugs, addiction is not a issue only in Lubavitch. we unfortunately suffer from it as well as other yidden and L’havdil Goyim.
I’m not saying it’s not a problem, I’m saying all teens start to try out different stuff, in our culture The popular and accessible thing is alcohol.
It’s about time we teach our Bachurim that it is wrong physically and spiritually… Before they become a addict.
Many valid points. You ask: “In what society do 13 year olds need to be educated about alcohol?” Uh. Almost EVERY society these days kids at that age and younger need to be educated about alcohol, cigarettes, etc. (It’s true that it’s sad that WE TOO need this, however literally every other society has common alcohol abuse, cigarettes and other drugs, and they indeed should/do receive education on this) And educating them at this age does not backhandedly get them closer to drinking; If the facts are presented properly, they will be UNABLE to get themselves to drink, no matter… Read more »
Drug and Alcohol abuse has no preference between race,religion, gender, or specific schools. it’s nice to see we are joining the fight and stepping out of taboo subjects which have long resulted in taking some of our best and brightest students to dark places
People who make such pronouncements demonstrate that they are not serious people. The propensity to alcoholism depends heavily on race. People of European and Mediterranean descent, who have been drinking alcohol for thousands of years, are likely to have a genetic tolerance for it that is dramatically less prevalent, for instance, among Amerindians and Aborigines.
Wow, this is so important
Yasher koach to initiating this course!
Smart to do it over 2 years, a consistent message has a deeper impact
It’s about time that some educational initiative is taken to re-educate and instill the right approch to a terrible problem in our system.
So wonderful to see such a true and balanced perspective. When we provide them with the information and the direct words of the Rebbe we are much more likely to succeed. It won’t protect all of them but it will help tremendously. We aren’t taking away l’chaims, we aren’t taking away farbrengens. Aderaba, we are following what the Rebbe said.
Under 21- no drinking whatsoever, this is illegal. NO alcohol. it is ruining our children
The legality of the consumption and purchase of alcohol, and the Rebbe’s takono are two totally different things.
It is not a Mitzvah to drink. It is clear that this is out of hand and the benefits of saying lechayim are gravely outweighed by the dangers of doing so. Girls have always farbrenged without Lechayim, men and especially boys should start doing the same.
I agree with that line: the dangers outweigh the possible benefits of drinking at farbrengens. A few of my friends have alcohol problems today that started at farbrengens
Do you know for a fact that your friends problem started from farbrengens?
Yes. Though it’s not that black and white, they would often ARRANGE “farbrengen”s “tzivishin zich” (no mashpia) as an excuse to drink. So of course the bochurim themselves are also at fault, but it seems very likely that they wouldn’t have gotten to that stage without the exposure to alcohol which happened to them at farbrengens.
Although I understand that everyone’s story is different, but absolutely for many bochurim their exposure starts at Farbrengens
This is a stupid law that no other country in the world has, and it was only invented in the 1980s. It never had any justification and we should ignore it just as we ignored Prohibition when that was the law. For instance Kiddush should be on wine, not grape juice, and it is our minhag that boys from bar mitzvah make their own kiddush and drink rov kos. And it has also always been our minhag for boys from bar mitzvah or even younger to take *small amounts* of mashkeh at farbrengens, under supervision. The Rebbe said that mashkeh… Read more »
Don’t you dare try quoting our Rebbe in support of Mashke!! I read the linked PDF, you are very misled, my friend.
The law allows for drinking wine for Kidush, and other religious reasons. Though even when making Kidush on wine, the Rebbe said that one should not drink the entire cup (of wine!), that’s how careful our Rebbe is about this.
You are obviously not speaking from experience or knowledge in the area of adolescent drinking. EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS of alcohol can cause the impressionable brain to want to do it again, and more. The only way to guarantee staying safe from having the amounts that will cause harm, is to stay away from the smaller amounts to and not walk up to the red line. Now from experience: I have classmates who suffer from alcohol problems to this day (in large amounts) from what started off as “small amounts” at farbrengens etc. There is ABSOLUTELY a benefit in impressionable teenagers… Read more »
Please add the laws of Yichud to the list! It is astounding how many bochurim and even men that I know that are not aware of the laws of Yichud, yet one is responsible from the age of 13.
I still drink today following these guidlines and even drink less as my body addapted to having just 1 or 2 lechaims on joyful occasions and thats it, but i recall in yeshiva drinking bottles i remember cassualy splitting a bottle of mashke between 2 people like it was nothing, it was gone in 20 minutes, Baruch Hashem i dont have any underline conditions that mashke was surpressing or treating that it became an issue, I think with maturity came better decision making. ultimatley you are responsible for your own choices and its good to have these guidelines to educate… Read more »
The issues of alcohol are’t only if you are suppressing an issue.
Please research the affects of alcohol on the growing brain of a teenager. (The opposite would have been much better for you: if when you were a Bochur you would have 1-2 lechayims, and now when your older, a half a bottle. The damages that a half bottle causes on the impressionable brain of a bochur-age is scary, do your research)