[Avodah] Don't Blow Out the Candles and Make a Wish

[Richard Wolpoe]

On 10/8/07, Prof. Levine <llevine at stevens.edu> wrote:
>
>  The following is an excerpt from the article *"Segulot, Superstitions, &
> Darchei Emori" *that appears on pages 63 - 75 of the Fall 2007 (Number
> LIV) issue of *The Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society*.
>
> Finally, we have the truly pagan superstitions. The classic example of
> this is blowing out candles at a birthday party and making a wish. To fully
> appreciate this we must consider the source of this custom.
>
>
Given a cheifetz of Avodah Zoro can be nullified by a goy [bittul]
lI wonder nowadays that since many of these sueprpsitions that USED TO BE AZ
have the status of being Batel because they have been secularized -
therefore no issur is hal anymore.

I would speuclate the same MAY be true for Halloween which has pagan/Xtian
origins but is has really evolved into a secualr Purim style masquerade for
most people.

But even if it is teachnically muttar, I concede it is certainly no mitzva
to imitate this stuff.  The question might then devolve to mutav sheyioyu
shoggegim.....



-
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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