Recently, the Rabbinical Council of America issued its yearly list of resolutions, most of which were summarily ignored. One of them, focusing on the economic difficulty that has left so many people struggling, recommended a sense of modesty and propriety in the celebration of family s'machot. Among the numerous recommendations, the RCA said that,We call upon our simcha vendors, including caterers, florists and photographers, to offer low-cost, modest options for weddings and other celebrations.Well, it seems like someone was listening.
We call upon every Jew to opt for modest choices and lower costs, to guard against deficit spending, and to direct some of the consequent savings toward assistance for others.
And we ask those who can afford more to purchase less, in pursuit of modesty and responsibility and in recognition of the social pressure that their luxury brings to bear upon others.
I've read a number of reports about the Chassidishe world, in which a particular Satmar Chossid conducted a party for his son's Bar Mitzvah, and only invited sixty guests! What's more, the band only had one singer! And instead of renting some fancy hall, he held the party in a gym!
I'm so impressed, and quite happy that the RCA's message is finally getting through.
I udnerstand that weddings in England have the chupa in the early afternoon and the dinner at night. The result is that hte couple really get some meaningful, not symbolic, time together. Also, people who don't want to come back at night save the parents the money for the dinner.
ReplyDelete-N Warshay