Donate a Year of Your Life for R' Elyashiv...

In a fascinating article, published on the Kikar Shabbat website, a man, "Aharon" announces that he has decided to donate a year of his life, to the great Torah scholar, R' Elyashiv, who is currently very ill.

"I discussed this with the Torah Giants of our generation, and they told me to ask my wife and children." This is a very unusual gesture and Aharon explained what brought him about to make this decision. "We are in an era when the great Torah leaders of Israel are the backbone of our existance, and without them, we would not be able to watch over our lives."

The serious medical condition of the "posek hador", R' Yosef-Shalom Elyashiv, is causing many to lose sleep. In addition to the prayer vigils held almost every night, there are those who took upon themselves, as a personal project, additional Torah study, so that in the merit of their study, R' Elyashiv will have a full recovery.

Aharon B from Jerusalem said that when he asked him wife and children, his
children agreed immediately. Rabbis encouraged me to accept this upon myself through prayer, without a special ceremony.

And this is how it happened: "Last Shabbat, I accepted upon myself to donate a year of my life to R' Elyashiv -- for his health and a long life. I immediately felt a great joy...

During the Torah reading, a chassid in a shtreimel asked me whey I was smiling, and when I explained to him why, he asked it was his Rebbe, the Satmar Rebbe, would I also be willing to donate a year of my life?" I replied, "Obviously! I would give a year for every one of the Torah giants...Rav Kanievsky and Rav Ovadia [Yosef] who are the guardians of our generation. " (source)

Questions:

Is there a refund, if R' Elyashiv doesn't have a complete recovery?
Is there are Jewish source for such a deal?
Does G-d approve of such deals?

In the future, I can imagine a PONZIE scheme -- people donating a year of their lives to the person a level above them, so that the person at the top of the pyramid attains the life span of thousands of years, while those on the bottom are left having given away years of their lives?

May R' Elyashiv have a complete recovery, even without this "donation..."

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Follow the Muqata on Twitter.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

The Shabbat Elevator Debacle Continues

Never missing an opportunity to take a religious issue and paint it in the most ugly shades of hate possible, Haaretz provides the following daily cartoon:

The Haaretz English edition is more reserved (Could it be that its more reserved so as not to appear antisemitic in front of the whole planet? There are notable anti-religious exceptions like Bradley Burston, the translated articles from Gideon Levy, etc.)

Their English edition story about the Shabbat Elevator ruling brings reactions from residents at an Ultra Orthodox nursing home, and is far more newsworthy.

Tovei Ha'Ir residents have been using elevators on the Sabbath for years - this is the only way they can get from their rooms on the upper floors to the dining hall and synagogue.

One of the retirees, a Haredi man, barely concealed his sarcasm when he responded, "What changed suddenly? What was kosher until now is suddenly treyf?"

Another woman was releaved to hear the edict was issued by Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, the head of the Lithuanian Haredi community.

"Lucky for me that he isn't my rabbi," she said. "I only follow the Gerrer rebbe," she said.

Residents were unanimous in their opposition.

This is an edict that will not work," one said. "If we all adhere to it, not only will we not leave our rooms on Shabbat, but life in places like Manhattan will come to a standstill."

Meanwhile, the Hareidim website brings an even more ridiculous angle. Citing an unnamed source, "close to R' Shalom Elyashiv" -- "the cartoon that was published in a secular newspaper shows the depth of their frustration that there are Jews willing to climb up the stairs for 12 floors, so as not to transgress the Shabbat."

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד