(c) 2000 Dr Hendel; 1st appeared in Bais Medrash (c) Torah.Org
------------------------------

Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 21:12:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Minhag haMakom

In Bais Medrash Vol 1 Number 82 there is some discussion about following
the psaks of the Rav HaIr. Rachamim Pauli gave the example of the Vilna
Gaon "who ate a chicken that he had prohibited but the town Rabbi said was
OK".

But if I recall the story, the town Rabbi did order the Gaon to eat it but
at the Shabbath table the candles fell into the soup and wax invalidated
the soup so that the Gaon was spared eating it.

Perhaps there are other stories or perhaps Rachamim knows more about this
story than I heard.

Russell Hendel; Phd ASA RHendel @ mcs drexel edu; Math & Comp Science
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/

------------------------------