My name is Alexander and I'm...

The purpose of this blog is to challenge everyone's thinking at the Shabbat table. Please print and share.
In memory of my grandfather Eliezer ben Zelig, whose yahrzeit was this week.
My grandfather was for a time "the" Jewish lawyer in his hometown, the City of Destiny.

Then my father joined him, forming the firm Seinfeld and Seinfeld.

They leased office space in the strategically-located Tacoma Mall Office Building (where there are currently vacancies should anyone be looking for some extra work space). The same building housed the local AM radio station and I remember during Sunday afternooon stops at the office ("to pick up some papers") being fascinated by the radio antennae perched atop the building.

What I did not know at the time - and learned only after my grandfather's death - was that he used to take a work-break and head down to the first-floor cafe. Not to drink coffee, but to play pinball. And sometimes my father would have to go down there after a couple hours and remind him of the time.

First question for your table - Does it sound to you like my grandfather was a pinball addict?

The great Psychiatrist Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski, author of over 60 books and founder of Pittsburgh's Gateways rehab clinic, broadens the definition of addiction. We usually think of addiction in terms of harmful behavior, such as drugs or excessive screentime.

I never saw my grandfather play pinball. But I did see him smoke a lot of tobacco, via pipe, and hear him wax poetically about the cultivation and preparation of good tabac. And I also witnessed him kick the habit, on his own - after everyone stopped hounding him about it. Something to think about.

  According to Dr. Twerski's book (click the image above), addictive thinking is part of human nature. We all have the ability and potential to fall into the trap of repeated behaviors that are not necessariy life-threatening but nor are they life-building. (For more of his amazing books, click here.)

Question for your table - what are some examples of addictive thinking that people don't realize are addictions?

Some suggestions:

- Addicted to complaining
- Addicted to criticizing
- Addicted to pessimism
- Addicted to worry
- Addicted to _________

Since addictive thinking is part of human nature, it's not something to feel bad about. But it is perhaps something to work on.

Final question for your table - is each of these examples unique and separate, or is there one or more underlying root causes of all of them?

Shabbat Shalom


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