In Parshat Shmini, Hashem instructs the Kohanim that when they serve in the Mishkan, and later in the Beit Hamikdash, they not engage in their duties after drinking an intoxicating wine or beverage. Rav Bonim of Pshischa zt”l asks an excellent question on this instruction. The pasuk in Tehillim teaches that wine gladdens the heart of a person. As such, wouldn’t Hashem want the Kohanim to be as happy as possible when serving Him in the holiest of settings, the Mishkan? Perhaps the Torah should encourage the Kohanim to drink before they serve! Rav Bonim answers magnificently, and with great insight into human nature. He says that the Kohanim are commanded to serve Hashem with intense joy, but that this joy should be created through the excitement of being involved in the mitzvah, and not from artificial sources. If the Kohanim were permitted to drink, perhaps they would be even happier, but their happiness would be artificial and insincere. What an incredible and powerful reminder to us about the challenges of attaining happiness in our lives. Tragically there are some who turn to external stimuli as a means of achieving a state of happiness. True simcha is attained through the performance of mitzvot, be it through ritual, or by giving of ourselves to others in some fashion. When we feel closer to the divine we ultimately feel better about ourselves and attain a sense of inner simcha and peace. If we use alcohol in order to fill a void of happiness in our lives, then we may have a serious problem. Responsible drinking of wine and any type of alcohol can at times increase an individual’s happiness, but can only do so artificially. It is important that as parents, grandparents and friends, we model for our children what happiness is, how it is achieved and how to avoid the danger of seeking a temporary fix to the challenges that we may need to face. May we merit to find true happiness through religious experience, the simcha shel mitzvah, as the Kohanim did in the Mishkan and the Beit Hamikdash.

By Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler