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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>re brochos of
malaachim and related beings, I was discussing this with Akiva <BR>earlier
today. This reminded him of the struggle of Yaakov Avinu with the <BR>Sar
of Esav and the subsequent request for a brocho and granting of it. I
<BR>thought, good point, I'd throw it out to the group. Any
thoughts?<BR><BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>>> Asking
a friend to say tehillim for a sick person is clearly mutar. Praying to a
demigod is not.<BR></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>>>At what
point does one make the transition to being like a friend and permissable to
being like a demigod.<BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>>> The friend has bechira. An malach does not, and
neither does a niftar. A "demigod" is either a<BR> malach that
someone is misidentifying or a non-existant entity, but in either case it
is being treated as if it has a bechira that it<BR>does
not.<BR></DIV></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>