Flying rabbis fight swine flu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8196807.stm
Rabbis and Kabbalah mystics recite prayers to ward off swine flu

A group of rabbis and Jewish mystics have taken to the skies over Israel, praying and blowing ceremonial horns in a plane to ward off swine flu.

About 50 religious leaders circled over the country on Monday, chanting prayers and blowing horns, called shofars.

The flight's aim was "to stop the pandemic so people will stop dying from it," Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri was quoted as saying in Yedioth Aharanot newspaper.

The flu is often called simply "H1N1" in Israel, as pigs are seen as unclean.

Eating pork is banned under Jewish dietary laws.

According to Israel's health ministry, there have been more than 2,000 cases of swine flu in the country, with five fatalities so far.

"We are certain that, thanks to the prayer, the danger is already behind us," added Mr Batzri was quoted as saying.

Television footage showed rabbis in black hats rocking backwards and forwards as they read prayers from Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism which counts the singer Madonna among its devotees.

The shofar is a the horn of a deer or sheep, and is used to mark major religious occasions in Judaism.

Jewish mysticism is perfect fare for Madonna. Kabbalah mysticism is as big a crock of bull as any Hollywood movie. 2500 years of Jewish mystics unable to comprehend their own ancient writers such as Ezekiel and his so-called Merkabah vision of a fiery chariot. These so-called mystics do not have a clue where Ezekiel vision came from, not having real spiritual Knowledge of God. God left these jokers high and dry in the Gnosis department which is why not a single Jewish mystic or Kabbalah devotee has ever figured out Ezekiel's vision was another instance of Jewish writers supernaturalizing and glorifying objects found in the Jewish Temple.