The Satmar wedding takanos have been in effect successfully for a full year. Satmar’s introduction of a vort shteibel to celebrate engagements has been well received. The Vort has been simplified and taken the place of the formal tenaim seudah. The vort shteibel is a small catering facility for families that are unable to host the celebration, even if it is only l’chaim, soda, and simple cakes, in their own homes. The use of the vort shteibel is limited to: (1) engagements that only had the participation of the chosson, kallah and their parents; and (2) vort celebrations taking place on the same day as the engagement. It precludes both the chosson and kallah’s parents from bringing anything, such as fancy cakes or decorations to the party.
Satmar has announced that 80 percent of engagements, since the takanos have taken effect almost one year ago, are fully in compliance.
For Purim, Satmar has directed newly engaged couples and their families to celebrate Purim in conformity with the takanos by not sending a Megillah, with or without a case, to the chosson as a gift. Nor may the chassan, kallah, or their families, send each other gifts or expensively prepared mishloach manos. Only simple regular mishloach manos may be sent. If, however, any of the allowed gifts have not yet been given, they may be presented at Purim.
Further, the proclamation warns against sending the chosson plane tickets for visits to holy sites in Europe or Meron for Lag Ba’omer.
{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter/Machberes-R’ G. Tannenbaum}
Way to go Satmer.We all should follow.We would save families so much money (that they dont have)
This is to be Commended! Why can’t we, in the Litvisha world do the same?
I do! What are you waiting for? A takana??? Take it on yourself!
Um – How many Litvishe people do you know that sent Megillahs to the Chosson, or the Plane Ticket to Meron? Chassidishe people have been setting ‘give and presentation’ trends for a very long time – the presentation to the chosson of the talis/bag/kittel etc is a newish thing/ the equiv kallah ‘presentation’ of the siddur/leichter/shirtzel etc setup (as if the leichter weren’t enough, the silver vase containing the roses, rather than just the bouquet of roses, the ‘shil-firen’ cheese cake party for the kallah, let’s all hold back and keep costs down!
we in the litvasha world don’t have a Bebba that can inforce such takonos. just remember the last time they tried.
Yossi, because we aren’t chasidim. We arent’t cookie cutter people. We think for ourselves and don;t need anyone to tell us how much to spend on what. We can be nice and normal without anyone enforcing socialism upon us. We aren’t jealous of each other. We are thinking, breathing people. And by the way, in case you didnt notice yet, there is a recsession, which has its own way of dictating how much people spend on people they love.
AND, we don’t kill our brothers in order to get our hands on a yerusha. Why not make a takana about that? And/or about going to court to take away what your brother has?
Yossi, and you all you dopes out there, its about time you used your noodle.
It’s scary to think what people have had to do up to now. I could not have afforded it. A megillah?! A plane ticket to Europe? ??? No wonder people have lost their health during the shidduch process.
I think it’s a good idea for everyone to scale back a bit for Purim. Sorry, store owners. Everyone has to survive.
Because there is no hope for the Litvishe world. We will listen to no one and do not care what anyone has to say – except ofcourse our neighbor next door who is the cause of the mess we are in in the first place.
Wow Eli you got a lot of bias. Just remember we orthodox have more that unite us than that which marks are differences!! All the best and Happy Purim.
eli | February 21st, 2009 at 7:36 PM
“Yossi, because we arent chasidim. We aren’t cookie cutter people.”
Halevai!!
We aren’t “cookie-cutter” when it comes to positive things such as the takonos, only in regard to keeping up with the rich neighbors are we “cookie-cutter”.
Eli, you really have your head in the clouds!
Not sure I understand the takanos.
Mimah nafshach, noone needs them: if you’re poor, grow up, understand you can’t afford things, scale back on your own, make a nice, simple weddding and don’t even think about outlandish expenditures that are unnecessary: plane tickets to Europe to daven at kvorim blows my mind. Absolutely speechless. For people to even contemplate that is outrageous. To think that this was standard Satmar policy…
And if you’re wealthy, who needs takanos? You have money? Spend it as you wish. As long as it’s clean, and you support your causes adequately, noone should boss you around. Why should Jewish florists, caterers, photographers, musicians, and wedding halls suffer? Can anyone explain why suddenly it’s a mitzvah to “scale back” and make other Jews lose their livelihood? That’s what you’re effectively endorsing: Jews to lose their parnasah because of a recession. We won’t get out of it if we don’t spend on anything. Stop thinking like slaves and start thinking like economists. SPEND MONEY IF YOU HAVE IT. SUPPORT FELLOW JEWS. Perhaps some things are outrageously unnecessary. Fine, dump them. But recent promulgations in certain Orthodox circles to scale back our simchas? More harmful than helpful. Why should Jews who make their livelihood via simchos suffer?
Shmuel,
The takanos are needed to avoid nuclear escalation. If you don’t enforce it on the rich, the rich wannabes will get themselves in trouble (they have!). And then it cascades downwards. Nu, so the wannabes and everyone down the chain are just being foolish? Peer pressure is always foolish, but it exists; we have to recognize it and make sure it doesn’t cause serious problems.
I hear. I just wish that there would be more maturity among our people, that’s all.