42.6 F
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

Belzer Wedding Unites Two Rabbinic Families

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

As per tradition, the bride's face was covered by a veil for the duration of the affair, which included ritual dancing and vows delivered under a chuppah.
As per tradition, the bride’s face was covered by a veil for the duration of the affair, which included ritual dancing and vows delivered under a chuppah.
The Hassidic wedding of the century took place this past week, as the prominent Belzer rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, married off his grandson, 18-year-old Shalom Rokeach, to Hannah Batya Penne, 19, in an elaborate Jerusalem ceremony that lasted from dusk till dawn.

Because Rokeach is the only male grandchild of the famous Rabbi, it is assumed that he will succeed his grandfather as leader of Belz Dynasty – which is probably why the wedding generated more buzz than your average ultra-Orthodox affair, (guests are rumored to have gone as far as using binoculars to catch a glimpse of the grandiose ceremony.)

The bride is also a member of Belz Chassidim, and wore a diamond encrusted traditional white dress as a crowd of over 25,000 Hasidim cheered her down the isle.

As per tradition, the bride’s face was covered by a veil for the duration of the affair, which included ritual dancing and vows delivered under a chuppah.

After the wedding, she participated in the Mitzvah tantz custom- in which members of both families and honorary rabbis dance in front of her and then with the groom.

The tradition requires the bride to stand perfectly still, holding one end of a long sash while rabbis, the groom’s father, her own father or her grandfather holds the other end and dances with her. Halachically speaking, it’s considered a great privilege to charm a new bride and to dance for her during her wedding, and it’s usually a job reserved primarily for the men, (though few women do take part).

For some background, Belz is a Hasidic dynasty named for the town of Belz in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border. The town has existed since at least the 10th century, with the Jewish community being established during the 14th century.

Since 1966, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach has presided over both the expansion of Belz educational institutions and the growth of Hasidic populations in Israel, the United States, and Europe. Like other Hasidic groups, the Belz community has established a variety of self-help organizations, including one of the largest patient-advocacy organizations of its kind, a free medical counseling center, and an affordable medical treatment clinic in the New York area.

Under the Rebbe’s leadership, the Belz Hasidut has grown from a few hundred families at the time of his accession to leadership in 1966, to over 7,000 families as of 2011.

Lives of community members revolve around prayer and religious study, and their world is one without television, films or access to the digital commons.

While men typically have beards and long, often curled up sideburns (known as “peyote”), women are expected to wear long skirts and shirts with long sleeves that cover their elbows, as well as high necklines that “adhere to strict guidelines of modesty.”

After a woman gets married, she is to cover her head with hats or wigs (known as “sheitels”).

Traditional Jewish weddings are made up of two separate parts, the betrothal ceremony, (known as kiddushin), and the wedding itself, (known as nisuin). Betwixt those two parts, the groom and his bride get to spend some time alone away from the spotlight of family and friends, and begin their striving to build a bayit ne’eman b’yisrael.

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -