Rabbi bans singing in the shower

Agence France-Presse ^ | 26th January, 2005 | Correcpondent

[Red Sea Swimmer]

A former Jewish grand rabbi Mordechai Eliahu has laid down the law on amateur operatics in the shower: you can hum but you can't sing.

"You will not sing in the shower," the former leader of Israel's Sephardic Jews instructed a listener inquiring about Talmudic laws on an ultra-Orthodox religious radio programme.

Rabbi Eliahu explained that the Hebrew language, holy to the Jewish religion, was not to be sullied by use in a bathroom, Wednesday's edition of Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported.

But the rabbi, considered a religious authority in world Judaism, went on to soften his stand.

"To hum without a word in Hebrew crossing your mind is acceptable," he said.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Were you a fog-horn in a previous life ?

[Red Sea Swimmer]

If I sing in the shower, the shaving mirror I use breaks...

[SWAMPSNIPER]

What if You sing in French?

[Rennes Templar]

Fog-horn is too kind of a word.

[Wilhelm Tell]

The good Rabbi might be a little strict, but that is better than some pro-gay churches that give their blessing to certain extreme behavior in public restrooms.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Non rien de rien, je ne regrette rien !

[OhioAttorney]

Rabbi Eliahu explained that the Hebrew language, holy to the Jewish religion, was not to be sullied by use in a bathroom[.]

Bizarre! Wouldn't the same logic apply to speaking Hebrew in the shower? (What does "singing" have to do with it?) Shouldn't this mean that observant Jews can't say "How are you?" or "Please hand me that towel" in Hebrew while they're in the shower room -- they have to speak some other language (English or Yiddish or something; maybe Ladino, since this guy is Sephardic) the whole time they're in there?

What is it about a shower that's supposed to be so sullying, anyway? I go there to get clean, not to get dirty.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

By the way, modern Hebrew is apparently quite different to ancient Hebrew. Some orthodox Jewish groups actually don't speak any modern Hebrew as they regard it as not a holy language. On this reasoning the Rabbi making this decree is really off the mark.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

One of the main reasons I've never tried to convert to Judaism. Lots of truth there, but lots of mindless, irrational dogma too.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

What is it about a shower that's supposed to be so sullying, anyway?

Here's something interesting to ponder, if you haven't already heard it. One of the very few references to Jesus in the Hebrew writings concerns a Jewish man who approached Jesus and asked him whether it was permissible to donate the hire of a harlot to the Temple fund. Jesus supposedly replied, "Why not use the money to build a toilet for the High Priest? ... from the place of filth, to the place of filth."

[Mr. Mojo]

Wouldn't the same logic apply to speaking Hebrew in the shower?

It would indeed. .....but this rabbi is meshugine, not logical.

[Mr. Mojo]

One of the main reasons I've never tried to convert to Judaism.

Why, because on occasion some loony rabbi says a loony thing? 99.99%+ of Jews don't listen to this sort of nonsense.

[nothingnew]

Huh?...Oh, I get it...it's FRieday nite.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Jim_Curtis]

I remember hearing a Dennis Prager show once where he explained the concept of some old testament religious instructions.

Many of these things seem silly on the surface but they have a purpose, such as: Not wearing linen with animal skin. I believe that was one thing. That reinforces a "non-mixer" standard within the follower so that if the follower is instructed to obey this, he/she surely won't stray and mix other things that might be worse.

This new order actually makes sense in that perspective. Wouldn't Hebrew text instruct followers to sing unto God? If you are in the shower, naked, cleaning dirt off yourself, it seems to me that that wouldn't be appropriate considering that Jews wear those yamulkes on their heads to not show a naked head to God.

I think a Christian would most likely believe that if Jesus was asked about this that he would approve of singing in the shower and the louder and more joyous, the better.

[OhioAttorney]

Wouldn't Hebrew text instruct followers to sing unto God? If you are in the shower, naked, cleaning dirt off yourself, it seems to me that that wouldn't be appropriate . . .

Your proposal would make better sense if the rabbi had forbidden singing as such in the shower. But the "logic" of his argument actually commits him to a prohibition on singing, speaking, or otherwise uttering biblical Hebrew anywhere in a bathroom (whereas singing, speaking, or otherwise uttering any other language, including modern Hebrew, should be just fine). That's much harder to fit with your interpretation.

[ccmay]

"To hum without a word in Hebrew crossing your mind is acceptable," he said.

That would exclude a lot of English words of Hebrew origin, then.

• abacus
  probably from ??? abaq (="dust")
• amen 
  from ??? amen (="so be it; truly")
• Ashkenazi 
  from ?????? ashkenazi (="German")
• bar mitzvah
  from ?? ????? bar mitzvah (="son of (the) commandment")
• behemoth 
  from ????? behemot (="beasts")
• Bethlehem, bedlam 
  from ??? ??? bet lehem (="house of bread")
• bris 
  from ???? brit via Yiddish (="covenant (of circumcision)")
• cherub, cherubim 
  from ???? kherub, ?????? kherubim
• golem 
  from ???? golem (="unformed, incomplete")
• Hallelujah 
  from ?????? haleluyah (="(let us) praise God")
• Israel 
  from ????? yisrael
• Jerusalem 
  
• from ??????? yerushalayim
• jubilee 
  from ???? yovel (="ram's horn")
• kibbutz 
  from ????? kibutz (="gathering")
• kippah 
  from ???? kippah
• kosher 
  from ??? kasher (="right")
• leviathan 
  from ????? livyatan (="sea monster")
• Messiah 
  from ???? mashiah (="anointed")
• mohel 
  from ???? mohel via Yiddish
• rabbi 
  from ??? ravi (="my master")
• Satan 
  from ??? satan (="adversary")
• schwa 
  from ???? sheva "?"
• Sephardi 
  from ????? sefardi (="Spaniard")
• seraph, seraphim 
  from ??? seraf, ????? serafim
• shibboleth 
  from ?????? shibolet (="ear of wheat")
• cider 
  akin to ??? shekar (="intoxicating liquor")
• cinnamon 
  akin to ?????? kinamon
• camel 
  akin to ??? gamal
• sapphire 
  akin to ???? sapir

-ccm

[Jim_Curtis]

Your proposal would make better sense if the rabbi had forbidden singing as such in the shower. But the "logic" of his argument actually commits him to a prohibition on singing, speaking, or otherwise uttering biblical Hebrew anywhere in a bathroom (whereas singing, speaking, or otherwise uttering any other language, including modern Hebrew, should be just fine). That's much harder to fit with your interpretation.

I see. Perhaps the Rabbi is establishing a guiding principle of keeping separate certain bodily exposed activities from religious activities that in his religion require cover.

Though it is true that speaking Hebrew in the bathroom wouldn't necessarily be a religious activity, the prohibition makes a point that the follower can relate to all things. The follower won't try to find workarounds but will take the principle to heart.

If this is the case, the Rabbi might think the prohibition is quite subtle.