Chasidic Wedding part 3

More from the wedding this past weekend. Rabbis checking the ketuba:

Cell phones are never out of place:

Dotting all the 'i's' and crossing all the 't's':

Happy couple, glad it's over, now for the fun:

Chasidic Wedding part 2

A Chasidic wedding is full of symbolism and ritual. But it's not all serious stuff. Lots of joy and dancing. The groom comes to the bride and places a veil over her head and face. It's the last time the bride will see the world as a single person. After the wedding their souls will be joined. After the veil is lowered, the brides father places his hands on her head and blesses her:

The bride's and groom's fathers accompany the groom to stand under the chupa, a ritual tent cover in the open air:

The groom's little sister is overcome with feelings of giving up her brother to the bride:

The bride is accompanied to the chupa by her and the groom's mothers. She circles the groom seven times and the ketuba - marriage contract - is read:

After the ceremony, the bride and groom go to a private room where they are alone for the first time as a married couple. When they rejoin the celebrants they split up to the men's and women's sides of the room and enjoy dancing and drinking:

The entertainment for the evening is provided by the chasidic Temptations:

An Abundance of Photos

Oy Vey! I went through a drought this summer. Days and weeks I had to struggle to get out of a rut. I walked miles and miles in NYC. As Mr Holmes would say to Dr. Watson, I looked but I didn't see. But yet, it has to be done. This past week I attended a hasidic bar mitzvah and wedding. Now I've got hundreds of images to edit down.

I'm in the process of applying for a grant for next year. If invited,  I will be allowed to submit up to twenty images from the project on which I've been working since the early 1990's. Paring the choice down is going to be very difficult. Beginning with thousands of negatives and RAW images, the first few cuts are pretty obvious, but after a certain point I'm in love with every image in the selection. So I won't be able to do it alone.

Here's a group of shots from the wedding. All but one are of rabbis of the various dynasties in Boro Park. I knew only one, but have to work on identifying the others.

First the groom, Menachim Melamed:

On the right is Rabbi David Feinstein, foremost Talmud scholar in the USA:

Havdalah

As Jews the prayers we recite and the rituals we observe create strong links in an historical chain that dates back for more than two thousand years. The observance of  Havdala creates the separation between Shabbat and the rest of the work week. It occurs at the end of the day when three stars appear in the sky. It's a ritual intended to use all five senses: to taste wine, smell the spices, see the flame and feel its heat, and hear the blessings.

A series of biblical verses is recited.

A cup of wine is filled to the brim and held in a cupped hand, the Havdalah braided candle is lit, and
the wine is blessed.

The second blessing is over spices - besamim. They're usually stored in a decorative container and passed around so that everyone can smell the frangrance as compensation marks the loss of the specialness of Shabbat.

The third blessing over fire is made with the candle of several wicks, symbolizing the many uses of fire in our lives. Lighting the candle represents the separation of Shabbat from the work week, since it is forbidden to light a candle during Shabbat. The custom is to hold one's fingers up to candle and gaze at reflection of light on fingernails.

The fourth and final blessing is the Havdalah blessing itself which signifies the separation of the holy from the everyday. The wine is drunk except for a little bit that is poured into a dish. The candle is extinguished in it to indicate that the candle was lit exclusively for the celebration of Havdalah. The little finger is dipped into the wine and touched to the eyes to commemorate the verse in Psalm 19:19 'The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes'

At then end everyone wishes each other Shavuah Tov, to have a good week.

Shabbat Rituals

There are two rituals honoring Shabbat in which I had the opportunity to participate. Lighting Shabbat candles to welcome the day and the Havdalah ritual of bidding the day farewell until next week. I've posted images of each in the recent past here. This post is the first of another set. I still haven't quite gotten the images I'm looking for to portray the beauty of each of the rituals, but I'll keep trying.

The Shabbat candles are lit on Friday evening before sunset. According to legend the first person to have practiced the ritual was Sarah, Abraham's wife. The Jewish Sages made the enactment of the lighting into ritual to signify peace in the home and to welcome the Shabbat, Queen of days. The candles are most often lit by a woman past Bat Mitzvah age. If unmarried she lights one candle, if married, two, and one for each child. Given the size of most very observant or haredi families, this could turn into quite a display. After lighting she waves her hands three times over the flames, covers her eyes, and recites the traditional Shabbat blessing. Usually a blessing is recited before performing a ritual, but in this case it's done afterwards  because after the blessing, Shabbat has begun and the lighting would be prohibited.

Also, it's traditional during this ritual to put money in a box for Tzedakah, which is sometimes translated as charity, but has a much deeper connotation when translated as righteousness. More about Havdalah in the next post.

Setting the example for giving Tzedakah:

Now it's my turn:

Me too:

Lighting candles, one for each child:

The glow of Shabbat candles, a beautiful light:

Watching mommy:

I know how to do it!

Finally, A Beautiful Summer Day

Temps in the low 80's, low humidity, cloudless sky all make for a perfect day to walk around NYC. Except that the light was kind of harsh. I often go on these walks to get some images and come home feeling like I got nothing. But even in a slump it's important to get out and exercise the brain and finger muscles. But then I get home, load the images into Lightroom, let them rest for a few hours et voilà:

Hot and Cold

A new shot from this hot summer, and a few from the past winter just as a reminder. Don't complain too loudly!