According to a Chadrei Chareidim (CC) report, on the day of the ceremony to attempt to remove the dibuk from the avreich from Brazil, the avreich was brought to Maran R’ Elyashiv Shlita — and Maran responded: “Go away from here. I have no business with a dibuk”. Nevertheless, he did not rule out such a possibility, adding “you can publicize it”.
CC reports another attempt is going to be made to remove the Brazilian dibuk, but this time, mekubalim will do so in a quite private unpublicized ceremony. Reports indicate the victim sought a bracha from Maran HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv Shlita, who reportedly stated “I have no business with dibuks”, agreeing to give the avreich a bracha from a distance, not in person, blessing him with good physical and spiritual health.
Talmidim close to Rav Elyashiv explained excitedly this was a continuation of the words of the Vilna Gaon. As the story goes, when a dibuk was brought before him, the Gaon stated “I want nothing to do with it”, sending him away too.
The editor of HaShavua B’Yerushalayim, Shlomo Kook, who is close to Maran R’ Elyashiv, was the only known journalist who was permitted to observe last week’s ceremony, the attempt by Mekubal HaRav David Batzri Shlita to remove the dibuk. He reported what he saw in his newspaper, in great detail. In the report, he brings the following regarding Maran R’ Elyashiv and the dibuk from Brazil.
Kook speaks of the case of the dibuk in Dimona in 5759, Pinchas ben Sofia, when Maran was asked if one is permitted to tell the story to children since not everyone believes there was a dibuk in real life. The rav responded rhetorically, “can you say for certain it wasn’t genuine?” adding, “If some are encouraged (receives a chizuk) by this, why not tell?”
This is the message this week regarding the dibuk of Brazil “whether we are dealing with a dibuk or not” the chareidi papers reported, quoting Maran R’ Elyashiv, echoing his words from 11 years ago – “if people receive a chizuk from this, why not?”
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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14 Responses
I thought there was no dibuk. What happened?
Sort of like the fairy tale of the Golem from Prague. If the kids enjoy it – why not.
How can you bring news from CC a source which our gedolim in israel prohibit at all costs to look on ,to advertise etc.
-IT IS LIFNEI IVER LO SITAIN MICHSHAIL
#2. While the question of whether the Maharal was capable of creating a Golem is undisputed, he could, he forbade anyone from going into the attic for any reason. I am not saying it a legend or not, but many years later it was either the Shagas Aryeh,Shaloh HaKodosh, or Noda B’Yehudah went up to the attic, came down visibly shaken and reitterated the Cherem that the Maharal imposed.
It is interesting to note that the Vilna Gaon was almost finishing the final touches of creating a Golem, when he received a siman from Shomayim to stop. Rav Chaim Volozin asked him “How are were you”? He replied “Not yet 13”!
Chizuk from a dibuk?
We all need to go to a Doctor! Why do we act like such looooooooooooosers. We have such a buetifull Torah and we have to bring in this Chazorai. Hashem Yirachem!!!
I made a Golem last week in my basement – Isold him on EBay for 1,000 Dollars.
#2 it is said that the nazis YM”SH saw it in the maharal’s attic when they fled
i thought it was said that the nazis who went in never came out, which is why a few groups went in.
#7 and #8 – “it was said” is not a very credible source and ranks only second to “it’s brought down”. That the Maharal and the Gaon “could have” created a Golem is undoubtedly true. But the folk story created by Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg in 1909 has undergone much academic discussion and the vast majority of the opinions conclude that the stories of the Maharal’s Golem are fiction. If you are not concerned about the latest Internet Ban, you can check out some interesting sources and lectures on the subject. I, too, was sadly disheartened went I realized that my childhood legends were just legends. “It is said” that you get over it.
Without going into details, it can be stated with certainty that there is absolutely NOTHING (physical) in the attic of the Alt-Nei Shul today, other than the floor, walls & ceiling. This was not always the case. At the very least, the Shul’s Genizah was kept there in the past. However, based on reliably reported incidents, there is still very good reason for Yidden to stay out of there.
#4,7,8…. You’re embarrassing yourselves. The nodeh beyehuda? Shaagas Aryeh? I challenge you to find out where it is brought down. You’ll be surprised. The entire Maharal golem concept was invented by an immigrant Rabbi to Canada who wanted to sell books, at about the turn of the 20th century. Can’t remeber his name off the top of my head. It’ll come to me. As for the story in the Nefesh HaCHaim about the Vilna Gaon, not sure how to interpret that exactly, but it was never ACTUALLY made, was it?
This story gets more and more bizarre as the days go by.
#11. I would hate to embarrass myself for you or any one. My first paragraph is brought down in a book entitled “The Golem of Prague” by Wikler. All his stories have sources including which one of the 3 Gedolim went upstairs in the attic of the Alt-Nei Shul. It is an deeply researched 450 page book, and he to questions Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg version as the dialect was different.
The Gemara itself talks about Golems. Rava used to create them frequently, as well as other Amoroyim.
BTW, any who has a screen name “Me Myself and I” has major psychological problems. See a therapist.
As for my statement of the Vilna Gaon, I saw it in both “The Vilna Gaon” and “Rav Chaim Voloziner”, both published by Artscroll.
#13, Winkler’s book is complete fiction. If your story is based on that book, it’s worthless.
#4, the story you quote is about the Noda Biyhuda, who is ALLEGED to have gone up to the attic, and when he came down ordered that nobody should ever be allowed up there again. This story is recorded by the Shoel Umeshiv, who says it was told to him by a shamash at the shul when he wanted to go up. But of course that is no evidence at all. The shamash who told the story to the Shoel Umeshiv could not possibly have seen the Noda Biyhudah. IF the story is true, then it would have passed down through at least one generation of shamoshim, and perhaps more than one. But it’s just as likely that the shamash made it up. In the Noda Biyhuda’s time there is no record of anybody having heard of the Maharal making a golem; by the Shoel Umeshiv’s time it was a well-known legend, having been printed in GOYISHE sources. So I’m afraid the Shoel Umeshiv’s story proves nothing at all.