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

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Oct 08, 2007 at 10:54:26PM -0400, Richard Wolpoe wrote:
: 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.

You assume that a lack of preserving their importance is the same as an
active bitul. Is that true?

: 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.

Although still a celebration tied to evil -- death themes, ritualized
version of extortion (Trick or Treat). Not quite wholesome either way.


On the question of neo-Paganism... Neo-Paganism is a new religion grown
out of New Age mentality and over-romanticized ideas of what they want to
believe Paganism was. It has no continuity or resemblence to the original.

If implicit bitul counts, then the impact of neo-Pagans on the
permissability of birthday cakes would depend on whether a new adoption
of religious overtones for a practice already commonplace and permissable
could cause it to be prohibited.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The waste of time is the most extravagant
micha at aishdas.org        of all expense.
http://www.aishdas.org                           -Theophrastus
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