Derech Hamelech: you said: Personally I have a big taiva to start smoking again but don’t because the Rabbonim say its assur. I’m sure there are tons of people that feel the same way.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have never thought about it this way. What you said may be just the thing that I need to hear to enable me to quit smoking. I know all the health risks (who doesn’t, these days??) and am very angry with myself for allowing such a tiny object to exert so much control over my life. I have never given much thought to the religious aspect, even though I remember that my former rabbi A’H” quit over 35 years ago – as soon as the health risks became widely known. He told me that the reason that he quit had to with halacha. I had completely forgotten that. Now, I shall try to quit once again. Thanks for jogging my memory.