BSD
Shkolim 16a (3)
Kislev 2, 5785 – 12/03/2024

Short notes.

1- Last week we mentioned the ancient custom practiced in Eastern Europe to perform a pre Chupa ceremony early in the morning on the wedding date.

This ceremony was called חופת מיין. Main for the river that flows by Frankfurt where this מנהג was practiced for hundreds of years.  

Basically, the חתן would be accompanied to the שול yard (or on the בימה) by the Rov before שחרית and the כלה by her family. They would both sit on an elaborately decorated chair and ברכת ארוסין would made. Some said all שבע ברכות.

In the afternoon or evening, another חופה would be performed with all the ברכות again.

This מנהג is mentioned in מסכת סופרים and the ראשונים with variations of different קהילות.
See  תוספות כתובות יז, א

See here in Hebrew.

Excerpt from link above, free translation: Following the destruction of German communities and the emigration of the majority of German Jews to the United States and Israel, most German Jews stopped performing חופת מיין (as well as other customs). However, a few in the German community continue even today to perform the ceremony of the חופת מיין, and even make it a condition for marriage with their children.

The מרדכי writes that this מנהג explain why we say
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ מְקַדֵּשׁ עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל  עַל יְדֵי חֻפָּה וְקִדּוּשִׁין.

Why חופה and then קידושין?

The order is in reverse of what we do! First there is the קידושין (with the ring) and then the ‘marriage’ via the חופה.

Says the מרדכי , based on this ancient מנהג, the order is indeed חֻפָּה וְקִדּוּשִׁין. First comes the early morning חופה and then קידושין a few hours later.

We mentioned the חתם סופר AH 98 that suggests that we keep this מנהג and do both – morning חופה דמאיין indoors and then a standard חופה  under the stars.

After WWII this custom of Chupa DeMain was stopped.

2- We concluded discussing the 3 sons of יאשיהו and his grandson יהויכין or יְכָנְיָה.

3 – Our גמרא:

אֵין מוֹשְׁחִין כֹּהֲנִים מְלָכִים. אָמַר רִבִּי יוּדָן עַנְתּוֹנְדְרַייָא. עַל שֵׁם לֹא יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה. אָמַר רִבִּי חִייָה בַּר אָדָא. לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים עַל מַמְלַכְתּוֹ הוּא וּבָנָיו בְּקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל. מַה כְתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ. לֹא יִהְיֶה לַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם.

One does not anoint כהנים as kings. Rebbi Jehudah Antordiya said, because the scepter shall not be removed from Jehudah. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Ada said, because of  he shall have many days of his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel. What is written after that? The levitic Cohanim should not…

Discussed briefly the rule that כהנים or anyone else that is not from שבט יהודה should not be anointed as a מלך.

As the Ramban writes בראשית מט, י regarding the חשמונאים that ruled as kings despite them being כהנים:

וזה היה עונש החשמונים שמלכו בבית שני, כי היו חסידי עליון, ואלמלא הם נשתכחו תורה ומצות מישראל, ואף על פי כן נענשו עונש גדול, כי ארבעת בני חשמונאי הזקן החסיד המולכים זה אחר זה, עם כל גבורתם והצלחתם, נפלו ביד אויביהם בחרב, והגיע העונש בסוף למה שאמרו ז״ל: כל דאמר מבית חשמונאי קא אתינא עבדא הוא (בבלי בבא בתרא ג׳.), שנכרתו כולם בעון הזה. ואף על פי שהיה בזרע שמעון עונש מן הצדוקים, אבל כל זרע מתתיה חשמונאי הצדיק לא אבדו אלא בעבור זה שמלכו ולא היו מזרע יהודה ומבית דוד, [והסירו השבט והמחוקק לגמרי]⁠ והיה עונשם מדה כנגד מדה, שהמשיל הקב״ה עליהם את עבדיהם והם הכריתום.

This was also the reason for the punishment of the חשמונאים, who reigned during the Second Temple. They were saints of the Most High, without whom the learning of Torah and the observance of Commandments would have been forgotten in Israel, and despite this, they suffered such great punishment. The four sons of the old Hasmonean Matithyahu, saintly men who ruled one after another, in spite of all their prowess and success, fell by the sword of their enemies. And ultimately the punishment reached the stage where our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said:⁠ “He who says, ‘I come from the house of the Hasmoneans,’ is a slave,” as they were all destroyed on account of this sin.⁠

4 –

We began to delve into the wide topic of the לוחות and how they were placed inside the ארון.
● Dimensions of the לוחות.
● The size of the ארון.
● אמה of 5 or 6 טפחים.
● שברי לוחות.
● Were the לוחות – each לוח-
6 x 6 or 6 x 3?
● Comparing the בבלי to our גמרא ירושלמי. Can they be reconciled?
● חטא העיגול

 

Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.

The Rebbe’s opinion and insistence on not rounding the top of the לוחות is well known. Did the Rebbe insist on square like the בבלי or is rectangular like the ירושלמי is also fine?

We created a chart on the above topic.