London Rabbi Seeks Help Ridding Home of Ghost
A Jewish ghostbuster may sound like an April fool's gag, but a London rabbi was dead serious when he appealed for help after moving into a haunted house.
The minister, who wishes to remain anonymous, reported the ghoulish goings-on to Dayan Levy Yitzhak Raskin of Lubavitch two weeks ago, complaining that he was forced to share the accomodation above the shul he'd just joined with a spirit who was fond of opening windows, knocking doors and making mysterious noises.
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Who you gonna call? Well, Raskin turned to the Rabbinical Centre of Europe for guidance. He told the Jewish News: "I felt the need to contact an official group to help with the situation, someone that would have the proper advice or experience to handle the problem."
He added: "It is an unusual occurrence, but not unheard of. Several members of the congregation have said they have noticed this problem for years. I have also spoken with a rabbi in America who handled a similar situation. A man contacted him about a haunting in an office and the rabbi told him - and this is Jewish law - that no chimney, window or door should be completely sealed off, so spirits are allowed to move in and out.
"This particular man discovered there was a sealed window and once he opened it up, the problem went away."
After receiving the query from Raskin the Rabbinical Centre passed the query onto two experts, Israel's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri. Rabbi Asher Gold of the Centre told the Jewish News: "The phenomena is not entirely unusual though exceptionally rare. The Talmud discusses similar scenarios and it always involves certain rabbis with more mystical ability to deal with it."
As for how this situation should be dealt with, Rabbi Amar proposed the use of tikkun prayers for the house and for the deceased rabbi's soul, while Rabbi Batzri offered to include the rabbi's name in a biannual tikkun prayer for the dead.
Central Synagogue's Rabbi Barry Marcus told the Jewish News: "You'll find there are prayers for many afflictions: for bad dreams, for sickness. If someone is ill or dealing with something, it is always a rabbi's duty to say a prayer for that person and help however they can."
He added: "That's not to say there is a special prayer for this exact situation - rabbis aren't some sort of Ghostbusters, we don't do sorcery or magic. But when someone is ailing or in trouble, we help however we can."
Read the latest copy of The Jewish News Online by clicking here.
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