The 12 steps were not designed to replace religion and of course, a Jew is always expected to fulfill all requirements in Halacha. For example, although the mitzvah of teshuva is supposed to be done in a very specific manner as defined in halacha, this still does not make step seven “wrong” in any way by not requiring amendments to be done in this manner-one is not exclusive of the other. Similarly, if our Torah requires daily Torah study, this still does not make the 12 steps wrong by not requiring it as one of the 12 steps. Don’t forget-only Jews are required to observe Halacha, while non-Jews are expected to observe only the 7 mitzvos of Bnei Noach. There is no reason why the 12 step program should require Torah study. In fact, if they did require Torah study, it would be a problem in Halacha!
Here’s the bottom line: If the AA founders told people to abandon their religions of origin and exclusively
observe the 12 steps, the critics would have a point-but the exact opposite is true. The AA literature exhorts its members to still observe their religion of origin & consult with their Rabbis.
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