The Internet was captivated last week by the picture of an Orthodox Jew who had wrapped himself in a plastic bag while on an El-Al flight. The reason for the wrapping was soon revealed to be that the man, a Kohen (or, an extra-devout Jew, as opposed to the normal schlubs you know and love), was worried that the flight would taint him as it flew over a cemetery.
Now the man in the bag himself has weighed in on the matter. Speaking with Ynet, the Kohen reveals he was "simply following my rabbi's orders." The man, who has remained anonymous, discussed with Ynet his long service in the Israeli Air Force, and how he became more religious after he was given the "opportunity to study in a yeshiva at the expense of the Air Force, which paid my salary for the two and a half years I studied in the yeshiva." He then returned to the Air Force, where he served for another ten years. He is now a retired lieutenant colonel, after having served in senior and "classified" positions.
Rabbi Yosef Brook, who is the man's Rabbi, was upset with the media reaction to the bag, which he found to be underestimating the Kohen's intellect. "Before Passover he flew to Israel, and because of a change in the flight he found out that he would be flying over a cemetery," Brook told Ynet. "He consulted a rabbi, who ruled that although the plane was a closed place, there was impurity over the cemetery and in order to deal with it—he must reach a situation of a 'container with a lid fastened on it.'"
Last week an El-Al spokesperson told us planes have been specifically re-routed to not fly over cemeteries anymore. Still, better safe than sorry.
