Recently the Jewish world news outlets reported on the “adoption” of an Orthodox boy from Argentina, to prevent him from becoming a werewolf.
President Christina Fernandez of Argentina met with her new godson, Yair Tawil, son of Shlomo and Nehama Tawil.
Tawil was adopted under a law passed in the 1920s to counteract a legend that a seventh son born after six boys with no girls in between becomes a werewolf whose bite can turn others into a werewolf. Belief in the legend was once so widespread that families were abandoning, giving up for adoption and even killing their own sons.
Under the law, the boys receive presidential protection, a gold medal and a scholarship for all studies until their 21st birthday. Until 2009, the law only applied to Catholic boys.
Shlomo and Nehama Tawil, parents of seven boys, in 1993 wrote a letter to the president asking for the honor and were denied. But this year, Yair wrote a letter to the president citing the 2009 decree and asking for the designation of godson.
This Chanukah, he became the first Jewish godson of a president in Argentina’s history. Fernandez received Yair, his parents and three of his brothers in her office, where they lit Hanukkah candles together.
Interestingly, Shliach and lecturer Rabbi Mendel Kaplan has dedicated two classes to this topic in his weekly class that airs on Jewish.tv.
Rabbi Kaplan discovered an interesting commentary on the verse comparing Binyomin to a wolf, which discusses the idea of him turning into an… actual wolf. He then delves into a Sicho of the Rebbe explaining how indeed Binyomin possesses the extraordinary qualities of self-transformation.
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watched both classes, very geshmak!
In response to # 12: Nobody learns P’shat in this fashion regarding the other Shvatim, and a falsely exaggerating a point in order to diminish or dismiss something a Rishon said lacks integrity at best. The fact that many gemara’s a metaphoric is widely known and doesn’t impact this RE. What the Gemara says about P’shat in the Torah (e.g. giants etc) is understood to be real. With all due respect, making a hodgepodge of different subjects does not lead to greater clarity…
To # 11
A. Firstly, I don’t know how RE would explain what happened to Binyomin after Yaakov’s histalkus. I had the same question, but it does not change what he wrote. Again I urge you to see RE inside before you take dismissive liberties.
B. The explanation of grabbing the daughter’s is the Rebbe’s — not mine, and I don’t think I deviated from his intention or P’shat. You are correct in your assumption, I unfortunately didn’t have a chance to look up the story in detail, however I believe the point remains the same.
Rabbainu Ephraim writes his commentary (in all three places) in the context of P’shat – especially in Parshas Vayigash where he uses it to answer a basic question IN P’shat. I personally don’t see how you can construe it (only) as allegoric without engaging in apologectics and (ultimately) dismissing RE words as hyperbole, hearsay or worse. You may want to find his Sefer (it was only published from manuscripts in 5752, although the Chida quotes his extensively (from manuscript)) and see his words for yourself. It should be noted that this is not an issue of Halacha (nor is anybody… Read more »
To claim that Binyomin was an actual wolf, unless you also claim that Yehuda was an actual lion, Yissochor an actual donkey, and Dan an actual snake. Everyone understands that these are poetic comparisons, not literal statements of fact. Rabbenu Efrayim surely understood this as well as anyone, and therefore he can’t have brought “Binyomin ze’ev yitrov” as proof for any fantastic story of lycanthropy. By the way, none of the strange gemoros you mention can be understood literally either, and only a fool tries to do so. Whenever the gemoro’s plain language seems obviously stupid, it’s a cue to… Read more »
If Yaacov’s concern was that Binyomin needed special care that only he could give, then what did he expect would happen when he died? Surely he had already trained his sons in the necessary care (and also Binyomin’s wife, in case he had an episode in the middle of the night), and he could safely send him with them. And what do we think takeh happened to Binyomin after Yaacov died? Did his next transformation result in his being put down as vermin, chas vesholom?! No, it’s not possible that Rabbenu Efrayim meant this literally, because it doesn’t explain anything.… Read more »
I originally read the idea of the werewolf from Nosson Slifkin’s blog, “Rationalist Judaism” and was plagued with uncertainty how we should view accept such statements. Trying to edge away from any doubt of apologetics and you mentioned in comment 8 does seem to be the Rebbe’s opinion, but how far can we take it? When we say Shivim Ponim Le’Torah, we are saying (acc. to my opinion) that in a certain light yes they all did exist. But logic dictates, then if the machlokes was on an actual event (a debate on what occured at Mt. Sinai between R… Read more »
That explains everything! A new path for kiruv! 🙂
Please don’t be so sure of yourself! Did you take the time to listen to the class?And, more importantly did you see the Rabbeinu Efrayim inside? He writes it in three places and is very explicit. As I say in the class if not any stranger than Shaydim/chicken feeted people in the Gemara or the giants that the Torah speaks about… Rishonim are not jokers, and Toras Emes is bigger than your or my intellectual capacities… I very much doubt that the Rebbe would accept or appreciateyour dismissive approach to what one of the Rishonim k’malachim wrote
I recomend you to call Obama ASAP, because i think that becoming a warewolf is also in USA.
The story from Argentina is a load of garbage, designed to show how gullible some newspapers can be. The custom of having the president be “godparent” to 7th sons (and now daughters) has no connection with werewolves.
And of course there are no werewolves, and the Rabbeinu Efrayim about Binyomin can’t be taken literally because it makes no sense.
Yashar Koach Reb Mendel!
yes,ur son is a werewolf
are you for real??
Hey why not! its the law. yea the law loves schtick too!
one second, are you saying that my seventh son, of 10, who has no sisters as of yet, is going to turn into a werewolf if i don’t get him adopted out by a goy? or is this only in argentina