Shearim brings us a picture of the Belzer Rebbe wearing his new shtreimel. The Rebbe changed his shtreimel, not just for a brand new shtreimel, but for a different type of shtreimel. Shearim posted a picture of the event, and quipped "as if a Shtreimel is that important"..
I would like to know why he made the switch. Is it a Belz minhag that at a certain time you switch? Is he starting somethign new? Was it based on the expense - maybe the new one is cheaper, so he is encouraging his followers to go with a cheaper brand? Is it to save an animal from extinction by switching to a different source of fur? I would like to know why. Rebbes usually don't do things with no reason..
There was an article in english Mishpacha about it. Apparently they figured out from some old pictures that they strimel he was wearing, that you see in all the old pictures, was only used for traveling. At home/shul they have the one he has now switched to.
ReplyDeleteactually if you had read this past weeks Mishpacho magazine you would have had your explanation.
ReplyDeleteChassidim wear the shtriemel on Shabbos, Yom Tov and simchos, the rebbes, wear what is called a kolpik during the week at certain times such as a yarziet tish or by hadlokos neiros as is the minhag of chassidim to dress nicer for that. A Rov in Belz was doing research into the minhagim of the previous Belzer Rebbes and it was found that in Europe the Belzer Rebbes would wear a Spodik on chanuka instead of the kolipik worn by other Rebbes, that is the reason the Belzer Rebbe put this on only now.
I read the Hebrew, not the English. I dont read every article, so I might have missed it anyway. I doubt an article about the Belzer Rebbes shtreimel would have caught my attention.
ReplyDeletethe two comments are different in what the minhag is. Mendelbaum says the new one is only for channukah. anonymous says one is for travelling and the other is for general use.
Which is it?
Anyway, how is it that the Belzer Rebbe does not know his own minhagim? Wouldnt he be the main authority on such things in Belz?
rafi, If you knew anything about Belz, you would know that the Rebbe is a yosam and was raised by his uncle, many minhagim of what was done before the war were lost, not just in Belz but in other chassides as well. that is why the Rebbe told one of his chassidim to do research and set down in a sefer the minhagim. the article in the mishpocha magazine is very clear. would behoove you to read a little before you run with a story, oh and did you see the write up about your former R"H R' Tzvi in the Hamodia?
ReplyDeletemendelbaum - all I did was ask why he switched? I didnt see the article because I dont read that magazine.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the article about Reb Tzvi about? I read last weeks edition and didnt see anything about him. I think I missed the edition from 2 weeks ago. was it in that edition?