“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Vaera 5785
23 Teves 5785/ January 23, 2025
Mevorchim Chodesh Shevat
PRESENT DEMANDS
Making a simcha of any kind – b’ris, bar or bas mitzvah, a vort and of course a wedding – is always a blessing. It’s a blessing that inevitably carries with it some level of stress, as there are so many arrangements and details that have to be navigated. The wise person remembers that it’s a blessing even while feeling stressed.
If men alone were in charge of making simchos, they would make sure there would be plenty of cake and cookies, and perhaps some hot dishes too. There likely wouldn’t be much salad. The food would be served on simple plates, arranged simply by putting all the same cookies or cakes together. It’s not likely that there would be flowers, candles, or centerpieces. The man arranging the event would likely ask why those things are necessary. How does it help the food taste better?
But our righteous Jewish women don’t allow male apathy for aesthetics to rule the day. Anyone who is blessed to make a simcha knows that it’s all about the presentation. In fact, a great deal of the expense of a simcha is to ensure a beautiful presentation. Hiring a party planner has become lucrative and in-demand in recent years. People will comment about how beautiful the food looks before they taste it. Sometimes the presentation costs more than the food itself.
(It should be added that it’s extraordinary how many resources our community has to help in this regard. Along with many other chesed organizations available, there are gemachs for tablecloths, centerpieces, serving plates and trays of all kinds, candles, etc. We sometimes forget that such things are unheard of outside our communities. Why would anyone have an organization for people to borrow vessels and trays for a nominal fee used only to maintain the fund?)
The bottom line is that planning an event entails a great deal of thought, effort, expertise, and time to create the perfect setup.
Apparently, these days people don’t just want to have their cake and eat it too. They also want their cake to be served on a fancy plate along with an exquisitely cut strawberry coated with a chocolate swirl with a beautiful ambiance.
The physical world serves as a metaphor for spirituality and avodas Hashem. Doing a mitzvah listlessly or davening without emotion or thought is like a simcha arranged by the average man – the essentials are all there, but it lacks presentation.
Just as our society invests tremendously to boost its presentation, so has presentation become more of a factor in the spiritual world. It’s clear that people today are not satisfied to receive the mere “essentials” of Torah. They also want to feel that the Torah is engaging to them on a personal level and that they can connect to it. They want to recognize how personally uplifting each mitzvah is and they want to feel a deep connection through tefillah.
It is no coincidence that in recent years there has been a strong drive to learn chassidus even in the non-chassidic/yeshiva world. The fact that ArtScroll recently published a translation and elucidation of the Kedushas Levi of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Barditchev speaks volumes (pun intended). In addition, it seems that each year more litvishe people join 19 Kislev fabrengens (19 Kislev is the day the Ba’al HaTanya was freed from prison. Chabad views the day as Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus). There is also a proliferation of the Torah of Rav Nachman of Breslov.
Songs with lyrics themed around Hashem always loving us and never losing faith in us are in vogue as well. Most famously, the song “Totty, my king…. Don’t ever let go of me,” by Waterbury yeshiva is a case in point.
In our world, superficiality abounds, leaving people feeling empty inside. The result is that there is a drive today for deeper connection with the beauty and depth of Torah. People want the ideas of Judaism to be presented in a way that speak to each person on his/her level. The Torah is timeless and speaks for itself. But how much it resonates and elevates every individual largely depends on how it is presented.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
stamtorah@gmail.com Strivinghigher.com