Judaism

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Principle: Service

As the result of these steps your Judaism has been renewed. Continue to work them again and again. Just as each Passover we are back in Egypt again as slaves, so each time we rework a step, we confront the addiction anew. It is important to concentrate on your own practice before carrying the message to others. From Pirke Avot 4:5 - “Regarding the person who learns in order to teach, Heaven will allow that person to continue to learn and to teach. But concerning the one who learns in order to practice, Heaven allows that person to learn and to teach, observe and practice. “

Text or Verse

How did Zusya bring a person to repentance? He went down all of the steps until he reached the other person’s level. Then Zusya bound the roots of his soul to the roots of the other person, and together their souls did repentance.
Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.

Practice

It’s important to talk about the Twelve Steps in the context of the Torah. Listen to the words of our tradition: “If three have eaten at the same table and have not spoken the words of Torah, it’s as if they had made sacrifices to dead idols.” God’s will is not in their thoughts. “But if three have eaten at the same table and the words of Torah were spoken, it’s as if they had eaten at the table of Adonai.”
Pirke Avot 3:3

Resources

Chabad Organization
The Twelve Steps of A.A. and their Parallels in Jewish and Chassidic Thought
(Go to the Links menu to connect with this site.)

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Spirituality, Prayer, The Twelve Steps and Judaism.
(Go to the Links menu to connect with this site.)

Starting Over: Using Torah and the Twelve Steps of Recovery to Find Happiness
(Go to the Links menu to connect with this site.)

Take 12 Steps
Jewish Journal
(Go to the Links menu to connect with this site.)