"A Jew smokes on the weekdays and sniffs tobacco on the Sabbath." - Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev (1740-1809) Hasidic Master and Jewish Leader.
There are certain things an observant (particularly Orthodox) Jew cannot do on the Sabbath, and lighting up anything in any way is many a one of them. Snuff comes in quite handy then, a pinch to get you going, see? Some of the services are quite long and could tire out even a mensch. That's when the snuff box would be passed around.
"You have to be like 90 years old to know what this is," says my Rabbi as he hands me a plastic bottle marked in Hebrew writing. "Smelling tobacco." He says. I open it and smell it. It's maybe the most medicated nasal snuff I've ever nasaled. Mint with a trailing chocolate possibly inherent in the 'baccy.
On the ride home, I sniffed a pinch properly and after the facial numbness subsided a happy tingle took hold and I was fairly certain I could easily say an hour's-worth of prayer in20minutesflatthankyou. Perhaps it would make due to simply sniff the air from around the opened rim. No wonder Hadism finds an important place for tobacco. Be it via cigarette or this s(t/n)uff. Often tobacco pipes were viewed as incense.
In short, it was and is (albeit to a probably far lesser extent these so-careful days) considered a spiritual practice in those circles, to smoke 'em if ya got them (and sniff 'em when you can't). The Ancient Temple, the smoke of its altar. The occasion of ending a Sabbath warrants some smoke, as does Purim. I did not, as you may have noticed, mention cigars. Perhaps simply the storage of other options was easier. Particularly-so back in the day but still so now.
I'm no Rabbi and no spokesperson for Judaism. I just found this interesting to find out and thought I'd share those said findings. In closing, I made mention of Purim. I was born on Purim. It's my favorite day of the year. As the Babylonian Rabbi Rava said, “One is obligated to drink on Purim until one doesn't know the difference between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordechai.'" Ah, inside humor.
Perhaps a new view of an old religion for many of you. Another tribe that finds spiritual worthiness in our leaf of interest. How could that hurt?
::: very :::