- Q. Dear Rabbi. A Sephardic frum widow, that is about to remarry, when she was trying on the new dress for the important occasion, the woman helping her tore a bit of her dress by her chest.
The bride was terribly terrified and afflicted, and is considering it to be a very bad omen and wants to nullify the wedding. What should be done to help her, as she much needs the shiduch in such a case?
A. Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a opinion is that she should not be concerned and the marriage should continue without any worry and concern at all.
I would add what we wrote on question 3281 as follows:
“Q. I was attending some time ago a chupa and I witnessed something strange.The Shamash used a (presumably burnt out) light bulb as the glass keli (utensil) the Groom was to step on and brake at the end of the wedding ceremony. Although it was covered with a napkin, we all realized what it was, due to the exploding noise peculiar to that action. Was that a correct thong to do?
A. Although the breaking of earthenware utensils at the prior Tenaim ceremony, some Poskim maintain that it could be done or should be done even with partially broken vessels (Pri Megodim 560: M’Z 2), the glass ones used at the chupa should be complete, since at that time the simcha of the Chosson is greater.
Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a maintains that it is better to use a complete and useful glass vessel as a Zecher Lechurban or remembrance of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh at the greatest of our Simches.”
I must add that while being the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mexico, I performed almost all weddings and most were for non-religious individuals.
On a few occasions the groom or the bride, objected to the breaking of the glass. I would explain to them what is mentioned in some Sefarim, that this break is actually a Segulah or act of prevention, deliverance and salvation, from the other breaking and tragedies that can occur and often happen in a marriage. The same should be mentioned to our Kallah.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon
Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit'a
Important Numbers
