Stupid People Doing Stupid Things For Stupid Reasons
Crazy Stupid
It is not unusual for people to have rituals when flying on a plane, like wearing a St Christopher chain or keeping their eyes closed until they take off. But one passenger took his beliefs a step further by covering himself in a plastic bag for the whole of his journey because his religion forbids him to fly over cemeteries.
This was the bizarre sight that greeted plane passengers when an Orthodox Jewish man covered himself under a plastic sheet. It was believed the man is a Kohein, a religious descendant of the priests of ancient Israel, who are banned from flying over cemeteries. Many wrap themselves in plastic bags as a compromise measure. The startling photograph, which has now gone viral after being posted on Reddit, shows fellow passengers straining over their seats to get a look. Beneath his plastic wrapping, the man is dressed entirely in black, and appears to be wearing a Jewish skullcap or 'kippah'. As a controversial solution - not entirely allowed by those in the Jewish Orthodox - the plastic bag creates a kind of barrier between the Kohein and the surrounding tumah, or impurity.
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser, of Temple Beit HaYam in Israel, explained: 'In orthodox and Conservative communities, Kohanim are expected to abstain from coming in contact with the dead, which includes a prohibition on visiting cemeteries except for the funerals of close relatives.'
There is also the question of how they can breathe. Pre-punched holes in the plastic are said to invalidate the barrier, according to Jewish newspaper YatedNe'eman. 'Only if when the kohein is putting on this bag it accidentally rips can there be some leniency,' the article claims.