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<font size=3>At 01:07 PM 5/7/2015, Micha Berger wrote:<br><br>
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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Minhagim evolve, that's what
they do. </font></blockquote><br><br>
<font size=3>But doesn't “evolving” mean that there is an existing
minhag, and it evolves? Here we are talking about a new minhag
which no one knew about. The Pri Etz Chaim never said that the Ari
said it was appropriate.<br><br>
People certainly can make up new customs whenever they like. But
bonfires on Lag Ba’omer are no more or no less than parades on Yom
haAtzmaut for those who celebrate it: They have nothing to do with
religion. Some Jews have even invented a custom to put up a
tree on Chanukkah. But do not try to tell us it then becomes a
“religious minhag” and “minhag Hamokom.”<br><br>
Everything that Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel wrote in his post is true.
There were no rabbonim at the time who approved of the custom.
Indeed it is true is that there were no rabbonim who approved of
the custom at the time, nor at the time of the Ari and R. Chaim
Vital. While they did not say it should be stopped,
they gave no support either.<br><br>
YL<br><br>
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