Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Dunner, a prominent poseik and dayan in Bnei Brak and the rabbi of the Divrei Shir shul, sharply condemned the practice of taking pictures of the bride in parks on her wedding day. Rabbi Dunner, the son of the renowned London poseik Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dunner zts’l, spoke during a shiur on the tenth of Teves and described the phenomenon:
“A friend told me this week that his friend had made a wedding and showed him the wedding album. My friend said he nearly cried when he saw the album. He saw the kallah on her wedding day going to the park, taking pictures, placing the dress on one bench, two benches, all kinds of pictures…where are we?
“A kallah, her wedding day is like Yom Kippur, it is the day of atonement for her entire life. Who dreamed of this? In the previous generation the wedding day was a day of prayer, Tehillim the entire day, crying for atonement. On Yom Kippur you go to the park? I’m not even talking about the money wasted on this.
“My friend said that he couldn’t understand how his friend was not embarrassed. I would be ashamed, that the kallah goes on her wedding day to the park! Before the wedding, after the wedding, that’s what they want to do? Be like the goyim? Rabbosai, this is forbidden to us.
“It’s a mitzva to publicize this, people should be ashamed to go to the park and take pictures. We need to be strong, Baruch Hashem during the coronavirus we saw weddings without this nonsense and everybody got married with joy.
“It is also not simple at all that the kallah takes pictures in all kinds of poses in front of a male photographer, this is another issue.”
Rabbi Dunner concluded by stating that the destruction of the Temple was because people did not “go beyond the letter of the law” which implies using “a little feeling, a little wisdom, the chasan and kallah should not take pictures before and after in parks and at the sea, it’s all goyish, it’s not for us. Hashem should see that we are not wasting our money, not acting like the goyim, we want to be modest and then we will merit the rebuilding of the Temple.”
This new woke anti-charedi argument that a Rabbi is not allowed to discuss or dedicate a single moment to a particular issue unless he has solved all other "bigger" issues first is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that came up recently in his life and therefore he chose to discuss it, amongst many other topics in a speech on Asarah Beteves.
Regardless of the fact that for all we know, R Dunner may have already spoken out against Gur and misbehaving Rabbi's, but that isn't newsworthy or particularly special and wouldn't be reported on or spoken about.
The online Jewish media picked out this story because is it controversial and edgy.
As someone who recently got married and personally believe to understand (somewhat) the importance of the Yom Hachuppah, I think he is quite right!
This may not be the biggest issue plaguing orthodox Judaism at this moment in time but he has the rights and freedom of speech to discuss a particular issue or pet peeve that he currently has, without needing to solve all of Judaism's issues first.
Well written, and point well made I fully agree, for the last while any time someone addresses anything that isn't from the top 10 probloms, immidiately they attacked with, "Is this really the biggest issue we face?"
DeleteGreat comment.
Anonymous 6:09 PM
DeleteAs someone who recently was married, your wife should reconsider what was probably the worst decision of her life. — Marrying an idiot like you. She should demand an immediate GET because from what you wrote. she’ll be suffering an awful, joyless marriage for the rest of her days.
What a great article, what everybody has to be busy, is RAA supporting the rabanut. This is what's on everyone's mind, and quiet frankly the most dangerous thing happening in the Jewish world
ReplyDeleteAnd we wonder why kids are freing out? Is he serious? "It's like Yom Kippur and everyone should be crying"? They're not allowed to be happy on their wedding day? WTF.
ReplyDelete6:09
ReplyDeleteNo one said that he doesn't have the right to say anything he wants, but once the rabbi comes out with a outlandish statement, he should expect a backlash.
A kallah should be happy on her day, and she should take any photos she wishes in a park, on a roof or on the sidewalk.
If he wants to be machmer with is own famil, he can have his daughter wear a sackcloth and sit on the floor. Everyone celebrates in their own way. The photos are memories that will be priceless.
This Rabbi has proven once again that he is out of touch with his congregation and the rest of Klall Yisrael.
Manchester Park Ranger, I never said that there is anything wrong with backlash. People have the right to argue with him, but argue on the point, don't argue by saying "he should have been upset about X instead".
ReplyDeleteUnless he is talking to the Beis Hatalmud crowd, what difference does it make where the pictures are taken? If yom hachuppa has to be all tefillos as he says then make picture day on a different day. But alas the photogs will charge a lot more money if that's the case & he should be chass on mammonam shel Yisroel.
ReplyDeleteUriah’s Wife: Thanks for your fantastic advice!
ReplyDeleteI wrongly believed that I was happily married all this time!
However, due to the inspiring words of a pathetic, immature, keyboard warrior troll on a news site's comment section I have decided to put my poor wife out of her misery and I am going to get divorced and live the rest of my days as a self-loathing hermit.
Thanks Uriah's Wife! I don't know where I would be without you!