7 Responses

1. This is from a new sefer on weddings from Rabbi Chaim Avraham Zakutinsky called “The Gates of Joy”, he discusses the mitzvah tantz and writes:
   Father- The Sefer Mor V’Ohalos maintains that the father of the kallah may dance with his daughter without using the gartel. He explains that many poskim rule that a father may have physical contact with his daughter and so the use of the gartel is rendered unnecessary.14 This is also the view of Harav Moshe Stern zt”l. He adds that many great rabbis also followed this practice.15 Harav Gavriel Zinner shlit”a writes that the author of the Sefer Kol Aryeh, the Minchas Elazar of Munkatch, the Vayaged Moshe of Pupa, the Rebbe of Kasson, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, and the Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz all danced with their daughters without a gartel.
   Harav Zinner shlit”a continues that the leaders of Chernobyl, Nadvorna, and Bobov all had the custom to dance with their daughters using a gartel.
   Harav Yosef Greenwald zt”l and Harav Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam zt”l would dance before their daughters without holding a gartel.16
   The father of the chosson is not allowed to have physical contact with his daughter in law and must, at the very least, use a gartel.

2. It is incontrovertible that most chassidische rebbes danced with their daughters without a “gartel”. Saw it with my own eyes a number of times. Obviously, so can the chosson and ,indeed, it usually is the last “mitzvah tanz”. Where this innovative minhag of the Karliner is that they danced together, father, chosson and kallah. Also, the Inclusion of the mechutan-who was between the rebbe and the chosson,- raised some eyebrows.

3. It makes news because many frum yidden learn halacha by osmosis and assumption, rather than learning from seforim. “I heard that ploni said that Rav almoni did etc etc” or “everyone knows that the din is X”, rather than “shtayt in Shulchan Oruch siman Y se’if Z brought down in achronim etc”. We’ve become a nation of men learning halacha like women.

4. Rebbe yid: men learning Halacha like women? How about just say men who play with electronic devices instead of learning? Don’t insult nashim tzidkaniyos. Not sure why you think women aren’t well versed in Halacha, especially when it comes to the kitchen, shabbos, etc.

5. If Rebbe Yid is maskim the woman in charge of kashrus and taharas hamishpacha in his home learning halacha by assumption rather than from a sefer, that’s his business–any violation of an issur kareis will be on his head.

6. While I think it is beautiful and correct that a father can dance hand in hand with his daughter, I can’t help but feel that if her father-in-law was included in any other wedding apart from a rebbishe one, it would be totally frowned upon! Is this not considered “mixed dancing”? Also for the girl to be actually dancing in front of hundreds of people rather than just standing still holding the gartel – is this totally tzniusdik? Again if it happened at a regular wedding the oilam would be shocked.

7. It’s a klal gadol: The more halacha you know, the more you CAN do. It’s easy (but wrong) to cover up one’s ignorance by “being machmir.” There is strength in being able to to be matir.
   The video is beautiful. Kol hakavod to the Rebbe, and brochos to the new couple!