Dark Light’s Positive Approach to Encourage Shabbos Candle Lighting
Aish HaTorah likes to encourage people to perform Jewish ritual through stories about the Holocaust. But the Ohr Somayach approach is broader, encouraging Jewish ritual because of other past martyrdoms as well as the Holocaust.
Rabbi Mental Weinbach, the Imam of Dark Light writes,
“On Erev Shabbat, 27 Elul 5070 (1310), the saintly woman Adel, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Kiknish, sanctified the Name of G-d and martyred herself on behalf of the Jewish People, may G-d avenge her blood in this merit.”
Thus read a tombstone in the European town of Drohovitch. Behind this inscription is a moving story of heroism.
A dead Christian child was found in the home of Adel on Pesach eve and the gentile maid claimed that she had slaughtered the child at her mistress’ command on behalf of the Jewish community. In order to save the community from the tragic consequences of this blood libel, Adel decided to take the entire blame. The confession of the maid that she had lied failed to persuade the judges to change their verdict of death by the burning stake for Adel. Efforts by the priests to convince Adel to convert to Christianity and be spared proved futile.
The execution was scheduled for late Friday. Adel donned her fine Shabbat garments, lit Shabbat candles and went to her fiery death as a martyr for her people.
So, um…anyway, please don’t let the evil Jew-burning townspeople and blood libeling maids of Drohovitch win! Rather, make sure to light shabbas candle like Adel did, EVEN ON HER WAY TO A HORRIFIC FIRE BURNING DEATH BY ANTI-SEMITES!!!!! DO IT FOR ADEL!!!!
4 comments
The story is entirely phony.
There is no recorded blood libel in 1310.
Drohovitch is in Galicia was not settled by anyone until the 14th century and certainly lacked Jews until much later.
Blood libels did not occur in Ukraine, rather Central European lands.
Kiknish (”dont look”) is fake name- check genealogy sites for the name.
If convicted of blood libel- conversion would not have helped.
How about challenging them to come up with a source?
Or how about writing a version in the style of the author Saki, where she is punished for lighting shabbos candles.
On top of it, using one of the calender calculators on line.
The date was a Wed, not Friday.
Oh, and also check whether candles were in use among Jews in those parts at that time. Also, why mention a green outfit? Jews of those days were not permitted to own land, become skilled craftsmen etc., particularly Eastern Jewry often were bitterly poor. Coloured clothing wasn’t only expensive, but often - by law - reserved for the nobility. “Judenordnungen” even prescribed what Jews were allowed to wear, how broad their colours might be, how much jewellery they might wear - partly as an act of humiliation, partly as a way of avoiding envy among non-Jews. Also, green denotes fertility in Europe.
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