Funny conversation I noticed during dinner - one of my kids lost a tooth, and we were talking about the tooth fairy. At the same time, my mother who is still here visiting was talking with one of my kids about red strings from Kever Rachel.
It struck me when I noticed that we were probably talking about the same thing...
Red strings are probably worse, since they have no purpose, and thus smack of at least chukat hagoyim. The tooth fairy is at least a story told to calm nervous kids about losing a tooth (and give them money).
ReplyDeleteI lost any respect I may have had for red strings when, about 11 years ago, I could not daven at Kever Rochel without being pushed from side to side by women who were circling around the kever seven times with that string. I'm with Yoni on this one.
ReplyDeleteyoni r.,
ReplyDeleteRed strings, other superstitions, and straight avoda zara all can have the effect of calming nervous people.
I don't think that helps.
anyone know anything about what happened yesterday in RBS? There were reports about an attempted stabbing by an arab on a Jewish woman. Helicopters were searching for him yesterday afternoon.
ReplyDeletethere was an attempted attack by 2 arabs on a woman. I dont have good info on whether it was an attempted abduction or attempted robbery. She fought them off (according to news she is an expert in martial arts), but the police sent a helicopter to search for them
ReplyDeletewhere did you see it in the news?
ReplyDeleteןא was a small blurb yesterday in a couple of websites. I cant find it right now. I am sure it will be in the bet shemesh papers this Friday
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:50AM,
ReplyDeleteIn the laws of chukat hagoyim, it is usually acceptable to do something if it has a purpose (for example, putting up a tree in your house at the end of December has no purpose, but using a baseball glove does). Things which are assur for other reasons (such as avoda zara) are not OK even if they have a purpose.
I also think there is a big difference between calming a child who is already nervous by distracting him with a story about the tooth fairy on the one hand, and on the other hand making up some nonsense about red strings according to which it can directly affect the source of nervousness of adults.
As a side point, Eddie Murphy had a very funny sketch years ago on SNL as the tooth fairy. Can't check youtube from work, but worth looking for.
Here is the story about the lady.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haredim.co.il/ViewArticle.aspx?catID=1&itmID=5439
This is the only place I could find it with google news Hebrew. The whole thing is her personal account. If I was more skeptical, I would say that she was trying to drum up her karate lesson business :). Seriously, I am glad she is OK. Too bad the arabs got away. They should publicize this more, so the arabs know not to mess with RBS moms!
Actually, since the Tooth Fairy custom is a leftover from the offerings of 1st lost teeth made to a Roman avodah zarah(another of those "neutral", harmless, cute practices like decorative wreaths on doors), I'm pretty sure its no better.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea the background of the tooth fairy. And I was not comforting anybody over his nervousness about losing a tooth. The kid was negotiating the amount of money the fairy was going to leave for him - for some reason he thinks I am the tooth fairy.
ReplyDeleteThe kid was negotiating the amount of money the fairy was going to leave for him - for some reason he thinks I am the tooth fairy.
ReplyDeleteI'm the fairy in my house. Um, the tooth fairy, or money fairy, that is :-)
Mark
"my mother who is still here visiting"
ReplyDeletehahahaha we are trying to get her to keep visiting you a while longer........