How Do You Handle halloween?

We generally don’t get knocks.

However, this year, I’ve seen two different approaches to this:

1. The rabbi at a Young Israel in Queens puts up a sign on his door telling kids that he’s willing to donate money to sick children for every signature that he gets on his sign.

2. I also saw that both R. Pam and R. Yaakov Kaminetzky used to give candy to kids.

The Wolf

lol go to walmart and buy tons of candy! its on sale now!

Someone emailed this to me last year, right before Halloween – I thought it was beautiful and worth sharing.

Rav & Rebbitzen Pam and Halloween

My father-in-law studied in Rav Avraham Pam’s (1913-2001,

the late Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Torah Vodaas)

shiur in Mesivta Torah Vodaas for several years back in the 1960s.

When my wife’s older sister became engaged in the 1990s, my in-laws

took my (future) sister-in-law and my (future) brother-in-law over to

meet Rav and Rebbitzen Pam to receive their beracha and good wishes.

What’s the most vivid memory they all have of that evening?

It was October 31st. In contrast to the many Jewish homes around the

Pams who had turned off their lights to discourage trick-or-treaters,

the Pams left their front light on.

While they all chatted with Rav Pam in the dining room, his rebbitzen

was in the kitchen working the hot-air popcorn popper and preparing

plastic baggies of popcorn to give out with a smile to all the local

non-Jewish kids who knocked at their door.

They all left that night with numerous smiles, berachos, and best

wishes from Rav Pam and his Rebbitzen – but what they all remember

most is the powerful lesson the Pams taught them about interacting

with their neighbors.

Rabbi Akiva Males

Harrisburg, PA

We live in a frum neighborhood …its mixed though

i live in teh heart of boro park, so no worries there…but if im walking in the street, to avoid problems…well, anyone who knows me knows im fairly large…im 6’4 300 pounds…no ones messing with me 😀

Thanks, Shimmel. You took me back to the BP of the 70’s when it was real dangerous outside. Eggs and shaving cream, chalk in the sock. Yeah, those were scary times.

Today, though, its a non-event.

oh well, around in my place we still have all of those!!

Hang a bag of candy on the front door. Live the night like normal and the candy bag is usually 3/4 full.

sms- murphy’s law

Artchill – We did that one year, and it was all gone. I don’t think they shared.

Purim costumes go on sale Nov. 1. 😉

Sacrilege

I think that some of them would accept the candy lol.

The Pam story is sweet, but I do not believe in helping someone celebrate something which is rooted mamesh in witchcraft. All Hallow’s Eve is avodah zara. I explained very nicely to the kids who first came to us, that we don’t celeberate their holiday, but hope they have fun. It was never a problem.

When I lived in my house, I turned out all of the lights so it looked like nobody was home. I sat in the back room and watched the idiot box. Nobody rang the bell.

my dear aunt had a solution to the problem.

She would give out Fig Newtons. After a few years, she had a reputation, and no one would come to her house.

I found this explanation of Halloween, elsewhere:

*

Halloween is a totally idolatrous celebration, which originated as a Celtic holiday, “Samhain” (pronounced many different ways), named after their Avodah Zarah who was “Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness.”

Samhain supposedly took the “sun god” prisoner each year during the winter. On the day before the new year, which for the Celts was November 1st, Samhain called together all the dead people for a meeting. The dead people would take different forms, the really evil ones taking the form of a cat.

Of course, this was all very scary to the Celts, so they had their galachim, called “druids,” offer sacrifices that day. They made a holiday out of this, to honor both the sun god and Samhain, lasting three days, where people would parade down the street in animal skins and other costumes.

Then the Romans also had a holiday which, after many centuries, ended up being mixed in with Samhain Day. It’s called “Pomona Day,” named after their Avodah Zarah god of fruits.

Then about 1,200 years ago, the Roman Catholics declared November 1st a holiday, “All Hallows Day,” in honor of their saints. Later, they added another day to this, Nov. 2, called “All Souls Day,” in honor of dead people. The Christians dressed up as saints, angels, and devils.

They made these holidays in order to counteract Samhain’s Day (“Chukas Pagans” is against Christianity). But instead of counteracting it, people simply celebrated both the Christian and Celtic holidays at once.

The Halloween that exists today has a mixture of the customs of Samhain’s Day, Pomona Day, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day.

That’s what you’re celebrating on Halloween.

oomis1105

RAV Pam ZTVKL. A little respect please for a Gadol byisroel.

Normally people don’t come. Cute story – we used to have non-Jewish neighbors a few years ago. Once my great-grandparents came a few weeks before Halloween and gave us some good British and Swiss chocolate. My neighbor wanted some which of course we wouldn’t give but her older brother was like, oh don’t worry we’ll get it on Halloween. They never came 🙂

Another year my mother brought back from Israel Mikupelet’s but we don’t by the hechser so on Halloween we gave it to them. My family had some fun explained the Israeli chocolate bar. 🙂

You took me back to the BP of the 70’s when it was real dangerous outside.

I’m not that old, but we used to have recess when the public school kids came out of school and they used to throw rocks and snowballs at us!!! You still gotta be careful 🙂

I think it could be an oppurtinuty for some kiruv (a lot of non-frum kids go trick or treating) I heard a story of two kids that knocked on a door and one of them was dressed up as a bubby.

buy all the candy thats on sale!!!!! every year something diff happens-one year they knocked, so we gave them r leftover lollipops from simchas torah that n/o wanted… the next year we left a bag of candy on the porch-n/o knocked, adn the bag was gone the next morning

Since la is very spread out, and I don’t live on one of those concentrated with jews blocks, there are only about five frum families on my block. All the jews just stay indoors because in addition to being asked for candy, its a bit dangerous out there. My grandmother used to get eggs at her door all the time.

CA -Idk, why give junk candy? We gave regular candy.

I ignore Halloween. It is a Christian holiday, not a Jewish one.

In general the new custom in the US it to put a Pumpkin or some other Halloween symbol on your doorstep so people know to go to that house and if there is no symbol kids are supposed to go to another house with it.

That being said, Kids dont go trick or treating in my neighborhod

as my moniker implies I live out of town….

Harmony with your neighbors requires that you graciously provide candy to the youngsters who knock at your door and compliment them on their costumes.

Our small town neighbors are aware of our religious practice and in the occasional year when Halloween falls on a Friday, no child comes to the door.

These same children may grow up to be the policeman, volunteer fireman or EMS that responds to your emergency.