Step One - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.
An audio recording of a class on Twelve Steps and Judaism - Step One
Recorded on Thursday, July 19, 2007
Step One
We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives
had become unmanageable.
Rabbi Yisrael Pinson is the Director of the Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House in West Bloomfield, MI. Since joining the Friendship House he has helped create a local Jewish Recovery Community where recovering addicts are helped through support, guidance, friendship and community.
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More in this section
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29:08Step Two
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29:40Step Three
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33:51Step Four
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31:32Step Five
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22:22Steps Six and Seven
- View All »
Join the Discussion
Anonymous
Israel
December 27, 2012
So the word for grateful has the same the same root as the word surrender. Interesting. I would like to hear more about that. Reply
Hadasa
April 16, 2023
in response to Anonymous:
A similar word in English is to "acknowledgement", which means both gratitude and admission. To be grateful is to acknowledge that someone has done something for you. Reply
Steven
December 27, 2012
Recovery Thanks to this site I did not use today. It is tough being Jewish with a addiction. We must ask Ha-Shem for help. Reply
Anonymous
April 18, 2010
amah an amah equals 25.12 inches Reply
Daniel W.
Oak Park, IL
January 4, 2010
surrender profound insights in this shiur. key among them for me are the connection between the very first prayer we say in the morning("modeh ani. . .") and surrender. also, the opening line of the amidah, "ado-shem sefatai tiftach. . ." as an opportunity for g-d's praise to flow through you. valuable information for any recovering addict who is working the twelve steps and trying to turn his will and his life over to the care of g-d (step 3). Reply
Tim Mayer
August 16, 2009
Building on Shabbat
So, we tear the house down before we begin to build a new one; a new one that is compatible with Gd. Working step one, we surrender(destroy)our old selves, so that we may begin to build a new self that is compatible with--and devoted to-- Gd. I am assuming, that, because recovery is a matter of life and death, it is permissible to work step one on Shabbat. Kind of a moot point to make, but interesting nonetheless.
Thank you for your insights.
Reply
Foundation I am inspired by the notion that as we tear down the old house we are building the new one. So for us addicts, the first step we take in eliminating old bad character flaws, we are simultaneously building our new foundation.
Love this reply. Thank you