Jewish Joy
I was once invited to the wedding ceremony of a wealthy philanthropist in New York. Huge amounts of money were poured into making this celebration a memorable affair. But, unfortunately, due to the sorry state of tzeniut, I was required to keep my eyes closed during the entire chuppah.
It was clear to me that I would be unable to remain for the meal. As soon as the chuppah ended, I thought of how I could make my escape undetected. I was still deep in thought when the host himself came over to me and gave me a private invitation to stay for the meal.
I was in a bind. On the one hand, how could I decline his invitation? Yet, on the other hand, I would not transgress the Torah’s laws for any reason, even at the expense of embarrassment and discomfort.
Finally, I asked the host, “Would you like to receive my blessing in the merit of my holy fathers?”
“Certainly!” was his immediate response.
“If so, then I must share a problem I have. There is mixed dancing here. I cannot desecrate my eyes with such a sight. In such a case, my blessing might be ineffective.”
But the man could not understand the meaning of desecrating one’s eyes. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to explain it to him. I finally told him that if he wanted me to enter the banquet hall, he would have to ensure complete separation between the genders. He was very happy with this idea. “Of course, I’ll take care of that immediately. Will the Rav then agree to come in?”
“Yes, But I also want to dance with the chatan, something I cannot do to the music of the gentile musician.”
The man’s face fell. “What should I do about that?” he inquired.
“Send him away,” I ordered. “I noticed that you had Mordechai Ben David and Avraham Fried singing during the chuppah. Call them back to sing. They will gladden the chatan and kallah, you, and all of your guests.”
He thought a moment, and then said, “And if I send away the gentile musician, will the Rav come in?”
“Most definitely. If there is complete separation between men and women, and there are Jewish singers, I will gladly go in. I will bless you and the chatan and dance with both of you a dance of mitzvah.”
That was exactly what happened. A partition was erected between the men and the women. The gentile musician was sent away, and Jewish ones took his place. The joy was palpable in the air.
A great kiddush Hashem was made throughout New York. Everyone was deeply impressed with this man’s actions.
During the few minutes that I spent discussing improvements with the host, other rabbanim stood near us. They were moved by my strong, unyielding stand for tzeniut. “Rabbi David, how did you do it?” they wondered aloud.
When one speaks with the voice of truth, great things can be accomplished. I was speaking on behalf of the Torah, the only truth. Therefore, my words were well-taken.
