Also posted on torahlab.org

This Tisha B’Av was different for me than any other year. Sadder, more meaningful, and I managed to stay in Shul right through to the end of Kinot! And the reason? A caffeine pill!!! One little yellow pill, the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee, made all the difference.

I didn’t realise how dependent I was on coffee until yesterday. Although I sometimes have headaches if I don’t drink enough coffee, I can usually manage without, and I don’t seem to see any noticeable improvement or difference before and after I have my morning java. But now that I know how good it is for me, and how it improves my davening and thinking and makes everything more meaningful, I’m going to have to make sure I am fully dosed at all times. Woo hoo!

Of course all of the above is meant tongue in cheek. Mood altering drugs are not the way to get closer to G-d, or to make life more meaningful. But still…

There is an interesting website here which will tell you how many cups of coffee you may drink before it kills you (I’m not sure that you could really manage that many without spending the rest of the day in the bathroom, but you get the idea.)

http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-caffeine/

(If you would rather death by chocolate try the following website: http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-penguin-mints/)

Newsweek has an article on the fact that we now need more caffeine in our products. You can get double caffeinated coffee, which gets you going without making you go (if you know what I mean).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875412/site/newsweek/page/0/

– anyone for caffeinated soap??

So this is what fuels the fires of Torhalab, and it is good to know that it is keeping the rest of America and the free world going as well. Any complaints to the major coffee brands please.

Keep on Buzzing.

Rabbi Sedley