4/20/20- Monday- "Spreading Joy and Gladness"

          We went to a wedding yesterday. Well, not exactly. We huddled around my wife's computer and attended a zoom wedding. With two phone cameras on tripods one under the chuppah and one six feet away, we watched on split-screen while a friend officiated the weddings and the young couple performed the rituals beneath the chuppah. One set of parents stood on a neighbor's lawn and the other set of parents stood on the other neighbor's lawn. The couple was beaming. She circled him, they drank from two cups of wine, he placed the ring on her finger, he broke the glass and everyone watching screamed mazal tov. I know.  some are wondering how a wedding took place during the Sefirat Ha'Omer, during the counting of the Omer (The Counting of The Omer) when customarily this sad period of time is marked by NOT conducting weddings. Because Pesach just concluded last Thursday night and we are still in the Hebrew month of Nisan (until this Friday and this Shabbat); we are still in a month that is considered "happy".  So, a wedding took place, with the appropriated amount of "physical distancing".

          The Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessing) focuses primarily on the themes of Joy and Happiness and how the union of two souls serves as a reason for communal joy and happiness. One of the Shevah Brachot, in particular, I found particularly poignant under the circumstances. Sameach TiSamach Re'iim Ha'Ahuvim K'Sameichecha  Yetzircha B'Gan Eden Mikedem, Baruch Atah Adoshem M'Sameach Chatan V' Kalah - Gladden the beloved companions as you gladden your creature in the Garden of Eden from aforetime. Blessed are you Hashem who gladdens the groom and bride. The Bracha, like every Bracha, invokes God, it emphasizes the emotion of Happiness. However, it also invokes the Garden of Eden and the first couple - Adam v' Chavah. Certainly invoking Adam v' Chavah as the first marriage that brought joy to Gan Eden (a place that is considered perfect) that seems so poignant. The first wedding, like this, was under the simplest of circumstances. No guests, and certainly any chuppah was formed quite naturally among the branches of trees. Who else was around to celebrate the joy of this first wedding, this first Chuppah? As I watched the wedding and noticed the image of the couple standing beneath the simplest of Chuppah. four posts and a very large Talit, standing next to each other with the backdrop of a backyard with trees and a bird chirping, there was no one else in that frame; those closest to them had to celebrate from a distance. The couple's joy and gladness had to spread, emanating from them to all who were connected. How empowering! Joy and Happiness are just as capable of spreading as a virus. Gladness is just as capable of spreading as a virus. Unlike a virus, however, Joy and Gladness can spread beyond six feet. Joy and Gladness can spread over many miles and can transcend time and space. The Bracha reminds us of the original Joy and Gladness that emanated from Gan Eden. The Bracha reminds us that we are all able to spreading Joy and Gladness no matter the circumstance, the distance, or the time.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

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