This has been going on for some time now, but I've only recently noticed it. As many of you many know part of the high cost of raising a Chassidishe family is the cost of hats for a young Bochur. If a Biber Hit is the norm then the dad muct dish out some three hundred dollars for his son's headgear at his Bar Mitzvah, because the kid needs a weekday and Shabbos hat. If you've got a few sons in a row that can be quite costly. The Belzer Rebbe thought out of the box and decided to take action. This is where we can actually see that all it takes is a little courage and incentive like money and changes CAN happen.
The Belzer Rebbe decided that a 13-year old kid can dress just like his Zeide did in Poland and Galicia and wear a Kasket. These cute little hats are thought of as appropriate for little kids, till 9 or 10 years old, but the Belzer Rebbe saw it differently. He saw the burden of a father and decided that it's more important that the father not worry about paying for his 13-year old's wardrobe than the kid thinking he looks childish. I think he needs to be commended for that.
Maybe it's just me, but in today's day and age of standards when it comes to outward appearance a decision like that can only have good repercussions. If others would see that spending money on things like 2 expensive hats for a thirteen year old is not what we need to burden fathers with then our society will only benefit. Especially since it's all about pressure anyway. Once we eliminate that pressure we'll all be happier.
I "tip my hat" to his novel approach. If only Lubavitcher Bochurim could back to the good old Nevler kasket instead of the $250 borsalino it would lighten the load tremendesouly.
ReplyDeletea good old $40 hat will do for a lubavitcher as well...
ReplyDeleteI hate those velevt kasketen, and those bochurim will look kinda odd in them with beards, maybe he should use his leverage to force prices down like the Gerer did?
ReplyDeleteI think these people are about as relevant to Judaism as Amish are to Christianity
ReplyDeleteI vote for kasket!
ReplyDeleteI wonder why ALL Russian chasidim dropped it so easily... except very few.
http://www.mentalblog.com/filedepot/futerfas.gif
maz, and you relevance is?...
ReplyDeleteblue, what about Kosher food? What about Matzos for Pesach? To compare Tefilin to a hat is sheer foolish snagishness.
WHAT WOKE YOU UP NOWץ
ReplyDeleteBELZER KIDS WEAR THIS KASHKETS TILL AGE 16 FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 15 YEARS
That's nonsense, it hasn't been longer than 2 years, if that. I speak of New York, not elsewhere.
ReplyDelete