Posted to Chabad News, Shlichus on

Chabad Rabbi Walks on Burning Coals for Charity

A Manchester Chabad Rabbi and members of his congregation walked barefoot on hot coals to raise money for a charity supporting the elderly, local media reported.

from the Bury Times:

Volunteers and workers at Chabad Community Care, which supports the elderly and lonely in the community, joined Rabbi Dovid Jaffe for a fire walk to raise £5,000 for the charity.

Francesca Moss, Jonathan Moss, Tara Knopf, Debbie Eljarrat, Michael Sharp, Yankie Jaffe, Lauren Jaffe, Esther Frais, Hannah Frais, Yehuda Rose, Elisheva Rose and Asher Abrahams all took part in the challenge at Manchester Maccabi Sports and Social Centre, Prestwich.

Mr Jaffe said: “Chabad Community Care would jump through fire to help the elderly of our community the least I could do was walk on fire.”

Miss Moss, who works for Chabad Community Care, added: “It was a truly invigorating experience whilst raising money for an amazing cause.”

Michael Sharp said: “However scared or anxious I was about the pain I might go through, the importance of raising money to help those less fortunate than me helped me to overcome my fears.”

Chabad Community Care supports the elderly in the community and relies on donations. Anyone interested in visiting or volunteering should contact Tara on 07765497824.

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43 Comments

  • Is that allowed

    According to halacha? Self inflicting pain on oneself is a no no…

    • Firewalker years ago

      There is no pain and it doesn’t hurt or burn you. Have a read about it online.

    • Shame on you Dovid Jaffe!

      Would you have done this in 770 with the Rebbe watching? I highly doubt it.

      Why introduce chukas hagoyim and negate tznius in the name of Chabad?

  • DO NOT TRY THIS HOME

    This is beyond irresponsible and dangerous. I expected more from Zalman Jaffe’s einekel – what an incredibly stupid stunt. Try a sponsored walk next time.

  • Avraham

    The way Tony Robbins does it is in a very controlled fire done by people who know how to do it. Even then sometimes things go wrong. To do this without inside knowledge is dangerous

  • Use google first

    There is no danger to “fire walking.”
    Please look in to things before you get all bent out of shape.

  • For all those so concerned with halacha

    Did you ever hear of הוי דן כל אדם לכך זכות did it ever occur to you that he is not an idiot and that if it would cause harm he would not do it? I happen to know for a fact that it did not cause him any harm there is a method to this otherwise he would not have done it

  • Anonymous

    Actually there’s a way to do this and you won’t get burnt. It’s all in the mind. Ask Rabbi Dovid Leib’s shver in LA….
    This reminds me of the Tzaddik that wore a Tzeilem (or something like that…the Galach’s clothing?) around the city to collect money for a needy Jew.
    I didn’t realise Rabbi Jaffe was such a Tzaddik. Wow.

    • Milhouse

      It’s not in the mind. It’s a purely physical process, and needs no “spiritual” or mental powers. You just need to walk quickly but not run, with dry feet on dry embers that were carefully prepared to make sure there are no bits of metal or stone among them.

  • Milhouse

    Wow, have you people never heard of fire-walking before now? I thought the objections would be because of its association with strange “spiritual” practices, which could be avak avoda zara, or perhaps an issur of achizas einayim, but apparently the people who’ve objected so far don’t even know enough about it to worry about that.

    Yes, it’s totally permitted. If you do it right there is no pain, and certainly no harm. It’s just a spectacular stunt, that’s all. And the avoda zara aspect is only a problem if you pretend that some wonderful spiritual power is keeping you safe, when in fact there’s nothing spooky going on, it’s a simple and well-understood physical process, completely natural, and anyone can do it without any “spiritual” mumbo-jumbo. If you’re honest about that then there’s no halachic problem.

  • rabbi chaim

    while I do not endorse or suggest anyone do this. your feet should not be burnt if you do. its a complicated sceince and math equation but in short if you walk quickly through and there are no other things in the coals you should be ok.

    on the other hand it is probably avoda zora.

  • Angry

    Self harm? Tznius? Avoda Zara practices? Please tell me this story is a joke. This is an embarrassment to lubavitch.

  • Binyomin Fitterman

    You know it’s just for show. These coals don’t even conduct heat. They are wood. It does not burn your feet. Look it up.

  • the kangaroo 2.0

    I heard his Grandfather came to him in a dream and told him to do it …

    • Copy

      To do this controversial thing and make participate all these people for just 5000 L?
      Even if it is kosher , just for the mocking and rechilus that this can cause to Lubavitch ,I don’t think that is worth
      Please. Shluchim don’t copy this

  • Hot dog eating contest

    What happened to the good old fashioned hot dog eating contests that traditionally raise funds to Chabad Houses?

  • kangaroos helper

    I love the jaffes!!!!!! always taking things to that next level go DOVID!!

  • Anonymous

    Firewalking is from the Tamil Thimithi festival observance. The festival is definitely A’Z and “borrowing” the practices is “avak…” We don’t put up greenery in our homes as a “Chanuka bush.” We don’t paint the eggs on the seder plate like some of our neighbors will be doing this weekend. And we don’t copy rituals from the Subcontinent.

    B’darcheichem lo seileichu!

    Shame on you, “rabbi” Jaffe!

    • Milhouse

      We have flowers in our homes, we have colored eggs on Lag Baomer (or any other time we feel like it), we eat kimmel crackers (nisht um Pesach geret), and there’s nothing wrong with performing a spectacular-looking but really very simple stunt just because some people have incorporated it into their rituals. The Maya played ball games as a religious service; does that mean we should not play any ball games? and what about Ba’al Pe’or? Should we not do what they did, because of avak avoda zara? This is ridiculous. So long as nobody could possibly think you’re doing it for avoda zara, there’s no problem.

  • Amsterdam shluchim

    it’s fursure avoda Zara, the Bowdon Buddhists have been practicing this method for 100s of years RACHMONO LITZLAN!

  • Chosid

    Es past nisht.

    Would you do this in front of the Rebbe?

    That is the test.

    If you wouldn’t, then don’t.

  • J. N

    ממש עבודה זרה!!
    Please, somebody should be prepared and learn with all the “New” shluchim in lubavitch. This Amhoratzus is worrying!