I don't care who he is or what he has done in his life....ultimately this is a sign of madness. I am ashamed.

Yeap, at least.

...for standing up for your beliefs. Now that your actions have been given wide publicity, hopefully many more other Kohanim will decide to follow your lead and fulfill this special mitzvah. Thank you for increasing purity among the people of Israel. Be Blessed.

the only mistake he made was not having the bag tied tight.

That's what members of cults do.

...but this story actually happened!!! Haredim are more stupid than I thought and I thought it was impossible!!!

I wonder did this man and his holy rabbi think about that BEFORE the plastic wrap?

This passenger committed a chillul Hashem and disgraced his people and religion by acting like a fool. This is a classic example of religion taken to extremes and it taints those who practice faithfully and with moderation.

How a thin plastic bag could give the man more protection against impurity than the sealed metal shell of the plane?

If the Halachic ruling was to ensure the man be compartmentalized with a lid; would confining himself in the restroom during the time the plane is flying over the cemetery not fulfill the ruling; rather than subjecting the student/scholar to ridicule?

Talmud decreed family once mixed up always mixed up. Today's kohanim are a reminiscence only. But, as we all see, everyone tries to build up their own empire, power, prestige and influence. However, it has nothing to do with Torah.

this is not the way to deal with religious practices.

kosher?

What about the very explicit statement in the torah that we must take care of ourselves? It seems to me that wrapping yourself in plastic on a plane is an explicit violation of this mitzvah. I've been wondering why none of the articles addressed this. I do not want to bash haredim but what could be a more clear sign of very confused priorities?

Why was this religious person even on an airplane? Surely there were more righteous pathways on land which did not put his soul in such an untenable position. However, by his actions he put the majority in jeopardy as we tell our children not to put plastic bags over their heads.

It's hard to accept that grown adults act as though proximity to a cemetery means they'll get "cooties" on them. Religion is so silly. Isn't an airplane over land always in proximity to cemeteries? How long will the plane be over the cemetery, 2 seconds, one? It's so silly my head wants to explode. Anyway, what's so great about being pure?

Take steps needed NOT 2 have people complaining.

which makes this man's actions irrelevant and just a spectacle.

That's not Judaism and you don't decide that an order for your cult members is Judaism. Where in the torah it says to enter a giant plastic bag during an air flight? Can you even understand the absurdity of what I just described? The airplane is made of different alloys all around you that one can easily assume would offer more "coverage" than that plastic bag. If the aura of taint from cemeteries goes all the way up into the atmosphere and beyond then where does it go? Let's go full retard then shall we? Why stop half way. We can then assume it goes the other way too. Cemeteries on the other side of the world project their taint backward through the earth and to the other side. You've got cemeteries in China and the Americas "projecting their taint" on you this instant. Hey, let's take it even further. There are trillions upon trillions of stars out there in the cosmos. A good % of them probably have advanced alien life. They have cemeteries too. Out of those planets some probably align with earn in some point so their cemeteries project their taint here too! Since the Earth rotates at the speed of 460 meters per second, and also moves around the sun at the speed of 30,000 km per second, avoid those taint beams becomes an impossibility if you cross their paths! Need to take into account their planets' orbiting cycles too! All this sure is enough to make you go crazy! Oh wait...

Contrary to what the great sage, beloved rabbi, claimed - the Zulu's have been using the telephone since they too are apart of humanity and part of South Africa which have regular telephones, mobile phones, and (gasp) the Internet. Furthermore, no one remarks on Muslims taking their shoes off at a mosque or Christians taking their hats off at a church because they do those things in their places of worship. If Muslims started wrapping themselves up in Persian rugs in mid-flight or Christians began performing the stages of the cross during take off and landing you'd see an equal measure of derision.

"I am convinced that none of those who reacted is at (the Kohen's) personal or intellectual level." You are right none of the commenters should have such an abysmal level. In fact that is understandable since the IAF pilot gave up thinking when he joined the Haridi sect. And please don't try and teach us what respect is, as the performance in your plastic bag is the epitome of disrespect towards the rest of us.

There's a business opportunity here. TUMAH-FREE AIRLINES "All flight paths guaranteed to not pass over a cemetery. Stay pure when aloft. Land well rested and clean. Pure oxygen, reiki massage and ambient music are included in the all inclusive price. Ben Gurion to JFK $5999 One Way. Economy Class. 25 hour flight." Call Now 1-800-NOTUMAHFORME P.S. How come the tumah only goes directly upwards from a cemetery ? Why doesn't it drift around like a bad smell ? How does it know where to go ?

that this particular Cohen will be holding court on the Temple Mount replete with appropriate white garb and honed knife in hand ready to accept sacrificial bounties duly marched up from the coastal plain. Long live tradition and heritage, but when irrationality is the outcome then something has gone amiss.

Primitive to the core, at the government expense. That's double shameful.

very sad

made you judge and jury? How about? You are this amazing person we all respect all the time, you do everything right and perfect, your thoughts are always high and holy, you achieved this pinnacle of humanity? ... Exactly so pipe down hypocrite. Live ...and let live.

A Kohen is not allowed to go to a cemetery and he knew he was going to be flying over at least one and he believed that being in a plastic bag would protect him from the impurities. You can argue it was stupid but fact is as a religious Jew he believed this would protect him from the impurity when flying over the cemetery. It is not madness it was HIS interpritation of Halacha. I don't know what Halacha actually says but he obviously interprited it to believe the bag was going to protect him from the impurities. He didn't hurt anybody by being in this bag nor did he try coerce anybody else to do the same so what right does anybody have to criticize him for doing it? Since when were seculars the enlightened ones and religious backwards, everybody is entitled to their belief and as long as they are not hurting others practice their beliefs even if it does seem abit wacky. I very much doubt he enjoyed being stuck on a long flight in a plastic bag so why not instead of criticizing him why not respect him for putting himself through this because he believes what he is doing is right?

As an orthodox Kohen who travels often on airplanes, I find something ridiculous, either the rabbi misses something or the fellow. I spoke many years ago to several rabbis about this problem, and it does not really exist. I urge this fellows rabbi to look more into the case. Regarding the fellow, I admire his courage to do what he sees as correct even though it is perceived as silly by others. But I would advise him to speak with other rabbis too. He may just find out that what he is doing is in reality silly.

A high IQ Jew wrapped in a plastic bag on an airplane because he might be flying over a cemetery. Believers at this level of insanity are a blight on earth.