Ask The Rabbi
24 January 1998 
Issue #177 (Parashat Vaera)
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This Issue Contains:
1. Are There Flying Rabbis Or Are There Flying None?
2. Here's Sneezin' Atchoo!	
3. Hong Kong Hanukah 		
4. Yiddle Riddle
5. Public Domain 
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Are There Flying Rabbis Or Are There Flying None?

c.e.k. from Los Angeles, CA <kill@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

>Dear Rabbi:
>
>Thanks again for your very informative and enjoyable service.  I promise 
>you I'm serious about this question, I'm not joking or trying to make fun. 
>I have recently been exposed, through a student film, to a reference about 
>"flying rabbis."  Apparently, throughout history this is a well-documented 
>phenomenon.  Apparently, the last one died within the past 100 years or 
>so.  Could you recommend some easily available (in the US) books on the 
>subject?  If this film was merely generating a fictional hoax, I 
>apologize.  If not, I eagerly await your scholarship on the matter. 
>Shalom.

* * * * * * * * *

Dear c.e.k.,

Jewish tradition does relate incidents of people, both righteous and 
wicked, who were able to fly.  The righteous people did so using holy 
methods, while the wicked ones resorted to the occult to do so.

There are stories of a particular Rabbi who lived in Egypt early this 
century who they claim was able to fly.  His name was Rabbi Abuchatzeira.  
His descendants live in Israel and are a famous family of Kabbalists.  
There is also a story about the Baal Shem Tov and one of his disciples 
flying across a river.  As with many of these kinds of stories, if you 
believe all of them you are too gullible, but if you don't believe any you 
are too cynical.

We are cautioned against telling too many "miracle stories."  A person is 
considered righteous or wicked based on his deeds alone, and so the ability 
to do miracles doesn't really prove anything.

Regarding Judaism and the occult, I suggest the book Faith and Folly by 
Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Hillel.

Sources:
o  Yalkut Shimoni Shemos 14:235
o  Targum Yonatan Bamidbar 31:8 

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Here's Sneezin' Atchoo!

Alan Mangurten from Morton Grove, Illinois <manguala@concentric.net> wrote:

>Are there Jewish roots to the custom of saying "G-d bless you" when 
>someone sneezes, or does this really have other origins?  Todah Rabbah!

* * * * * * * * *

Dear Alan Mangurten,

There is an ancient Jewish custom that when someone sneezes we say "asuta" 
which is Aramaic for "may you be healed."  The sneezer then says "blessed 
are you" and then says "for your salvation, G-d, I wait."

This custom was written down during the Mishnaic period (c. 100 CE), but it 
dates back to the time of Jacob.  Before Jacob's time, it was extremely 
common for perfectly healthy people to die suddenly, with no forewarning.  
Rather, a person would walk down the street, suddenly sneeze and die.  
Jacob prayed that Hashem should give people some warning of their impending 
death, so they would have time to consider their ways and repent of any bad 
deeds.

Source:
o  Code of Jewish Law, Orach Chaim 230, Mishnah Berurah 7 (ad loc.)

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Hong Kong Hanukah
Ido from Hong Kong, China <idok@asiaonline.net> wrote:

>Dear Rabbi,
>
>My name is Ido and I have a question.  Before that I would like to speak 
>about myself:  I am nine years old, I live in Hong Kong (China) speak 
>Hebrew, I go to a Jewish school called Carmel School and I am sure you 
>heard of my Jewish studies teacher, Rabbi Avtzon (one of the most popular 
>guys in Asia).  Here's the question:  What does Maimonides tell us about 
>the importance of Chanukah?

* * * * * * * * *

Dear Ido,

Maimonides (Rambam -- Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) relates that the Greeks tried 
to destroy Judaism.  They didn't let us study the Torah or observe the 
commandments.  Finally, Hashem had mercy on us and we defeated them.

Then Maimonides writes about the miracle of one day's oil which burned for 
eight days.  Because of this, our Sages established Chanuka as a time of 
joy and praise to Hashem.  We light candles to remind ourselves of the 
miracle of the oil.  This teaches us that although the military victory was 
a miracle, the spiritual victory was the essence of Chanuka.

Sources:
o  Rambam, Hilchot Chanukah 3

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Yiddle Riddle

Last week we asked:  "Who was the first person to die after the Great Flood 
(mabul)?"

Answer:  Haran

On the verse "Haran died in the presence of his father," the Zohar states 
that Haran was the first person to die in his father's lifetime.  The Vilna 
Gaon explains that this refers to those who died after the Flood, because 
before the flood we do find those who died in their fathers' lifetimes -- 
Hevel and Chanoch, for example.  Now here's the rub:  A simple calculation 
shows that Noach outlived Haran!  So if Noach was still alive when Haran 
died and no person had yet died in their father's lifetime, then no one 
could have died period!  For if Noach was alive, his children must have 
been alive.  And their children must have been alive.  Continue the logic 
through the generations and you'll realize nobody died!  
Eli & Zahava Gross <ezgross@netvision.net.il>

Sources:
o  Zohar Lech Lecha 1:77b
o  Kol Eliyahu

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THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Comments, quibbles, and reactions 
concerning previous "Ask-the-Rabbi" features.

Re: Kashrut certification of restaurants open on Shabbat (Ohrnet Parshat 
Vayishlach):

At least three kashrut boards in the US will give certification to 
businesses open on Shabbos if those businesses are owned and operated by 
non-Jews.  The Chicago Rabbinical Council certifies a particular Dunkin 
Donuts store, and I believe there is also a certified Dunkin Donuts in the 
Five Towns area of Long Island.  (This is a wonderful thing the night after 
Pesach....)  Also, I am acquainted with a (non-Jewish owned) wholesale 
bagel factory (under the Kof-K) that has a retail window open on Shabbos.
   Joel Ehrlich, Albert Einstein College of Medicine <ehrlich@aecom.yu.edu>

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Re: How did fish survive the scalding Flood waters? (Ohrnet Parshat 
Vayishlach):

Another explanation is the waters in Eretz Yisrael were not destructive, 
not hot.  As for the fish, either the waters below land level were cooler 
or the fish congregated in Eretz Yisrael. (Rabbi Levi in Shir Hashirim 
Rabba 1:66 and 4:2, Rabbeinu Bachai Bereishit 8:11)
              Rabbi Yitzchok D. Frankel, Cedarhurst, NY <Ydfrankel@aol.com>

----------------------

Re:  Saying the silent prayer out loud for visually impaired congregants 
(Ohrnet Parshat Vayeitzei)

Your answer did not take into account evening services or a place where 
there is no minyan, which are the interesting cases, in my humble opinion.
                                              Ben Michelson <ben@valor.com>

The Rabbi responds:  In those cases, one would be allowed to recite the 
prayers out loud for the sake of the visually impaired people.
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