Concerning expenditures involved with making simchos,
may the latter increase. And even if Hashem has graced a
person with wealth, he is advised to be modest and restrained
with his money, and whoever trains himself in the practice of
self sufficiency, and suffices with little, is blessed with
years that are wholly good — writes the Pele Yoeitz.
"One must attempt to reduce luxuries which erode the power of
Jewry and lead to toil and trouble and wasted energy without
end" — from the takonos to the Knessiyah
Gedolah, signed by Maran HaRav Chaim of Brisk ztzvk'l.
"If a person builds his home on the foundation of luxuries
— the entire house will be defective" — from the
words HaRav Arye Leib Shteinman shlita. About the Vaad Arbaa
Arotzos * Regarding the regulations of the various
communities * What is the definition of luxuries in Halochoh
and Mussar? *
By A. Re'eim
A responsa of the Bach (Siman 73), which is directed
to the Jewish communal trustees (parnossim) who headed
the Vaad Arba Arotozos, deals with the big trade fair which
took place in Lublin. Very wealthy businessmen and tradesmen
would gather here, among them the parnossim of the
various communities throughout Europe, which is why the Vaad
chose precisely this location to make their meetings and
conventions. The parnossim of Poland and Russia met
together with the gedolei hador and discussed the
current problems facing Jewry. These parnossim were so
devoted to their Jewish brethren that they often gave away
all their money and risked their very lives for their
people.
Over four hundred years ago, an umbrella organization was
created, unifying the Jews of Russia, Poland and Lithuania
through representatives that formed the Vaad Arbaa Arotzos,
which was recognized by the government. In his work,
Nesivos Olom, Nesiv Loshon 89), the Maharal
tells of a ruling passed by the rabbonim of this
Committee.
Vaad Arab Arotzos and its Functions and Activities
The name "Vaad Arbaa Arotzos" was coined in 5383 when the
communities of Lithuania initiated this supernal group. The
four countries included Russia, Vohlein, Poland-major and
Poland-minor. Vohlein embraced Ludmir, Luzak, Berditchov,
Chernowitz, Zhitomir and other districts.
Poland-major stretched from Posen till Warsaw and Poland-
minor encompassed Cracow, Lublin, Ostrovtza. The activities
of the Vaad were varied and many, including intercession in
preventing or defending blood libels, exempting Torah
scholars from taxes, mediating quarrels between communities,
appointing rabbis, providing approbations for Torah works,
providing for orphans, supervising correct weights and
measures, instituting amendments regulating the ostentation
of gold and silver vessels, dealing with matters of Kashrus
and shechitah and others.
Among the gedolei Torah who stood at the head of the
Vaad we find: R' Mordechai Yaffe, author of Levush
[Mordechai]; the Maharsha; the Maharam Lublin; the Kli
Yokor; the Tvuos Shor; the Bach; the Sma; the Tosfos Yom Tov,
the Taz, the Sheloh, the Megaleh Amukos and many others.
Every kehillah maintained its own official record, its
Pinkas Hakehillah, in which a community secretary
documented all of the activities, amendments and regulations,
as well as the various customs in their particular community.
Only select passages remain from these records, including the
various takonos which were instituted at various
times, for various reasons. These can be found in the
responsa works of the rabbonim who served these communities
during this period.
With the Gathering of the `Chiefs' of the Different
Communities
In the pinkos-record of the Vaad Arbaa Arotzos dating
back to 5419, it was instituted not to expend more money than
was deemed necessary on affairs. According to the amendment
agreed upon at the trade fair in Lublin, it was decided to
implement this directive and guideline with full stringency.
We find already in 5355 in Cracow an amendment to "be
concerned for the financial resources of Jewry" and to forbid
women from expending large sums for jewelry and attire. They
specified what was permissible and what was forbidden with
regards to such expenditure: both for men and women.
The Vaad record states as follows: "Insofar as it is a
criminal offense to incur great expenses for wedding and
bris milah festivities, it has been decided to
categorically forbid making weddings on Shabbos, come what
may, but only during weekdays. No more than a minyan
of people are permitted to be invited to a seudas bris
milah. The communal trustee appointed as parnas
hachodesh [there was a rotation basis of
parnossim] was to supervise that this was duly carried
out and, in the case of infraction, to penalize the violator
with a harsh punishment as one would a person who ate
forbidden food."
On the 29th of Tammuz, 5433, it was recorded in the
chronicles as follows: "Every festive meal from the wedding
night and afterwards shall not exceed the number of one
minyan altogether, even including the chosson
himself and his accompaniment."
In the bylaws of Frankfurt-on-the-Maine on the 17th of
Tammuz, 5475 we find: "The participants in a bris
should not exceed the following: the sandak, mohel, av
beis din and immediate family [krivei psulei
eidus, as they are referred to], the chazon and
shammosh. Similarly, the wedding feast should not
exceed ten men outside of the av beis din, parnossim,
dayonim, immediate family, chazzon and
shammosh."
The Basis for the Objection to Ostentation and
Luxuries
The kehillos presented three main grounds for their
amendments: not to arouse envy; not to embarrass the poor and
to make it easier for the poor. We find in the Maharsha
(Pesochim 49a) that the Ten Tribes were exiled first
because they pursued material pleasures and comforts to an
exessive degree.
We do not find regulations of this kind passed during the
period of the geonim but there are references to the
deletrious effects which can result from excessive
expenditures. In the communities of the Rhine valley area,
called acrostically Kehillos ShUM [Speyer, Worms, Mainz], we
find in the year 5583 an enactment forbidding "a person,
neither man nor woman, [to] make any festive celebration
without warranted reason."
In Italy, in 5178, they instituted a bylaw limiting expensive
clothing "so as to subdue our hearts and for the sake of
walking modestly with Hashem our G-d and refraining from
being visibly showy in the eyes of the gentiles." Signed at
the head of the list was R' Menachem of Racanati.
Amendments such as these were promulgated in communities in
Spain in 5192, as well as in Berlin in 5492. "After we have
seen the squandering of money taking place here in our
communities regarding extravagant banquets which people hold
for no particular reason, inviting crowds of people without
limitation!" they saw fit to institute regulations and
limitations.
The city of Prague also accepted upon itself many such
takonos in 5505, the list of signatures being headed
by the godol hador, the Noda BiYehuda. Their purpose
was: "To remove the opulence, which is the father of poverty,
and in order to fend off the enemy and avenger, to eliminate
all hatred and envy and avoid being flamboyant in the eyes of
the nobility of the land." In one of his speeches, Rabbenu
the Noda BiYehuda complains, "And the Jews attired in
aristocratic raiment cause the nobility to impress heavy
taxes and demand tributes from us" (Drushei Hatzalach,
30.
In 5646, the community of Pietrokov passed regulations
against luxuries. "We, the signators, having gathered to
assess the situation in our community, where luxury and the
latest mode [!] have found pathways into the hearts of our
townspeople with widespread intensity and power, for which
fortunes are being squandered — to live up to the
latest craze in fullest detail, even though they may be
living in dire poverty, without food and clothing, which
threatens to be our downfall— We have agreed amongst
ourselves to make takonos! The luxury and the
wantonness eats away at our flesh, and the safeguards of
modesty and Mussar have fully breached the embankment of
Jewry. Woe unto us if we cannot help but cry: "Lukus,
Lukus! For how much longer shall you consume the
resources of Jewry in their time of poverty!"
An illuminating takonoh was passed in Fez, Morocco, in
5458 after the rabbis of the country realized that "the gates
of influence have almost all been sealed, and the majority of
families with young girls are in a dilemma, due to the
terrible custom which has prevailed of late where they cannot
get married without a very sizable dowry, with added gold,
silver and precious stoneså Therefore, have we come to
institute and decree that under no circumstances shall there
be an agreement of adding anything beyond the dowry
itself."
In the pamphlet, "Maskil el Dal" paragraph 6, it is
explained that expenditures for luxuries cause people to
engage in the pursuit of more and more money, to the point
that one continually imagines that he does not have enough
means to keep the mitzvos properly since he has become
impoverished by his personal lavishness.
The Rich Shall Not Exceed!
When donations were collected for the building of the
Mishkan, Israel was commanded to give half a shekel,
each person respectively. "The rich shall not exceed and the
poor shall not give less than half a shekel." Is it
truly a difficult thing for a rich man to refrain from giving
more than is requested? Are not rich people stingy by nature?
Is this not precisely what their evil inclination wants?
Maran the Mashgiach of Mir, HaRav Yeruchom Levovitz
ztzvk'l said that when they collected money for the
building of the Mishkan and the treasurers refused to
accept a penny more than the required half shekel,
this was considered a rebuff, an insult. But the Torah said,
in so many words, "Don't come to the Sanctuary with your
wealth. Don't flaunt your riches in the House of Hashem. Here
you are equivalent to the pauper." This policy was important
enough to warrant a special commandment in the Torah to show
that all are equal in the eyes of Hashem. Only in this manner
can the Shechinah deign to reside in the midst of the
people.
HaRav Uri Weisblum shlita writes an expansion of this
concept in his work, "He'oras Haderech." He cites the
words of the Sforno at the beginning of Pekudei, "So
that the budget and size of the Sanctuary not be the reason
for the reposing of the Shechinah in the midst of
Jewry. Hashem desires those who fear Him devotedly, and their
good deeds, as the basis for His dwelling in their midst."
A person should not flaunt his riches. It is not the actual
splendid structure that Hashem wants and desires as a resting
place for His glory. And when a person builds his own home,
he does not need an ostentatious wedding, a brass band, a
stunning spread for the aufruf. These actually
constitute reasons for banishing the Shechinah from a home, G-
d forbid. Hashem desires, rather, those who fear and love Him
devoutly, and their worthy deeds, and in their midst will He
chose to dwell.
The Destruction that Came as a Result of the Pursuit of
Luxuries
HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman shlita writes in a letter:
"It has become the custom for families to make an extravagant
sheva brochos for a new couple every single night, as
if it is an ironclad obligation. Families incur great debts
for this and are embarrassed not to make them. It should be
known and recognized, however, that there is no such
requirement to make a meal that requires sheva
brochos, whereas there is a prohibition to borrow
money when a person has no means or ways to pay back the
loan. A person reasons that he can alternate from one
gemach to another to keep afloat. But once a person
begins doing this, he consumes all of his time and energies
and has none left for the study of Torah."
In an additional letter, he writes: "There are some specific
fundamental values which the novi enumerates as
requirements on our part. One of them is to `walk in modesty
with Hashem." This applies to every person. In particular, a
person should know how to build his home. It must be built
upon the standard of hatzneia leches, of reserve,
reticence, simplicity bordering on austerity, no frills or
extraneous things, only the basics.
"Since primarily it is the Jewish daughter who has a major
role in building the home, they should studiously pursue
simplicity and shun luxuries, since the latter consumes a
person, erodes him, and is the cause for all kinds of woes.
For if a person builds his home on a basis of comforts in
every area, things which are not necessary, then that home
will be ruined, defective in one way or another. One should
begin with a solid principle of no-frills, for this is the
meaning of `walking modestly with Hashem,'" concludes HaRav
Aharon Leib.
