Moshav Matityahu | Imamother

mandksima

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 9:26 am

Very friendly, Anglo Charedi but with an American emphasis, small moshav so everyone knows everyone. Everyone has to follow all psakim of the rav - Rav Leff or they won't be allowed to stay. Schools that are closest are in Kiryat Sefer so Israeli Charedi school system. Ganim are on the moshav. All shopping is accross the street in Kiryat Sefer too. Mostly Litvish. Come visit for a Shabbos - my brother and his wife would love to host you and you can ask them any questions. PM me for details.

chavamom

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 12:47 pm

Ruchel wrote:

It must be very hard for everyone to drop their family customs...

You do NOT have to drop your family customs. You have to accept R. Leff's psak on things like you agree to cover all your hair, you agree to no TV, if there is a communal issue, you go to him for a psak. But there are Sephardim, Yekkes and others that still keep their own minhagim. Minhag is not psak halacha.

Ruchel

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 12:52 pm

chavamom wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

It must be very hard for everyone to drop their family customs...

But haircovering is an example of something that is totally family custom... is it everything covered or not, how do you cover, which way, do you need to cut, shave, not, one or two coverings, etc!

mandksima

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 1:11 pm

octopus wrote:

just curious- covering all your hair- does that mean no falls with a little hair showing, or no tichel with a little front hair showing? just curious.

I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure most of the women wouldn't think of showing a little hair anyway (they hold that a tefach is not to be relied on as something "allowed" to show, just not an aveirah if it does show by accident.) I haven't seen falls there, only sheitels, snoods and tichels with all of the hair covered. That is standard in any Israeli Charedi community.

Kashrus is also a biggie there as the Rav wants everyone to be able to eat at anyone else's house without a doubt as to their kashrus level so only certain hechshers are allowed and shmitta year is treated a certain way held by the Chazon Ish. Not all Charedim hold by that but most do. Even one popular badatz that we use isn't allowed. Well, don't get me started on Charedi hechsher politics...

OP- it is a wonderful place if all that was mentioned is what you are looking for. It wasn't for me as my brother and I are very different and wanted different things.

chavamom

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 1:37 pm

Ruchel wrote:

But haircovering is an example of something that is totally family custom... is it everything covered or not, how do you cover, which way, do you need to cut, shave, not, one or two coverings, etc!

I knew you would say that when I typed that. There are community customs, but there is still a realm that is halacha. We are talking about a "psak" that you have to cover all your hair, no bangs. Now how you accomplish that, if you shave, if you wear two coverings, if you don't wear a shaitel, if you only wear a shaitel, that is entirely up to the individual.

Ima'la

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 1:46 pm

I went there a bunch of times for Shabbos/YT when I was in seminary and loved it - very warm and friendly. Small, close-knit community. Everyone has a lot of respect for the Rav. Rav Leff is a huge talmid chacham and very down-to-earth and approachable.

Ruchel

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 2:25 pm

chavamom wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

But haircovering is an example of something that is totally family custom... is it everything covered or not, how do you cover, which way, do you need to cut, shave, not, one or two coverings, etc!

So family customs aren't respected. For example I've heard of Edot Mizrach women who have the custom of having a braid hanging out. They wouldn't be able to do it.
If the women in your family wore a hat European style on pinned up hair (definitely about a tefach showing as a whole), also not allowed.

As for kashrus, what if your family don't hold by a need for glatt, the existence of a certain Pessach chumra, oe "worse" you eat kitniot... etc.

I'm all for one rav for a community, but it doesn't work when people come from all kinds of origins.

chavamom

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 2:37 pm

Ruchel, I think you are confused about what is minhag and what is halacha. I'm not going to start another debate with you about it. But anyone who lives there is agreeing to the rules and the rav's psak, so it's not like anyone is being forced to do anything.

Ruchel

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 2:42 pm

chavamom wrote:

OF COURSE they all agree. But I don't see how they can think they keep (public) minhagim. Of course I suppose/hope they can sing whatever they want at the shabbes and seder table, dip the number their mother learned at mikve, etc. But haircovering and kashrus are huge parts of what is transmitted from generation to generation, and yes, while doing SOMETHING is halacha, how you do it is definitely minhag. No rite is better (except your rite for yourself, which is not the case there)... Confused

To be honest, this place is very far from the only one where it happens, even without having the same rav, traditions are dying enough. What about expecting every family to behave at "full" level for their own rite? That would make sense. It's not an improvement for a Temani to wear a black kippa or for me to eat Bet Yosef.

ChossidMom

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 3:47 pm

My husband is kicking himself that 14 years ago, when we bought in Kiryat Sefer, that we didn't go to Mattityahu. The reason we didn't go there was that I had heard various things that discouraged me and I convinced my husband. It was a mistake. I could be very happy there....It's a really nice place!!! And Rav Leff is very special.

Mama Bear

Mon, Nov 03 2008, 5:40 pm

there's nothing wrong with having to abide by community standards when moving into self-enclosed communities. to live in new square, monroe and other chasidishe communities you have to conform to their tznius rules too; you cant show hair or leg if you want to live there, and so on. I dont see what the problem is.

greentiger

Tue, Nov 04 2008, 12:26 am

Matityahu is oficially a litvish comunity and you are expected to keep to minimal litvish standards if you want to live there. I must point out though for Ruchels sake that not everyone there is litvish and not everyone keeps to these standards. The local makolet there is under the rov's supervision but noone goes around to peoples houses to see what they have on the table. Similarly if a woman were to walk around with a tefach of hair uncovered I doubt anyone would say anything, though if she would uncover altogether she probably would. I would hardly consider Matityahu a strict yeshivish community and find this whole discussion quite amusing.

chavamom

Tue, Nov 04 2008, 12:38 am

greentiger wrote:

Similarly if a woman were to walk around with a tefach of hair uncovered I doubt anyone would say anything, though if she would uncover altogether she probably would.

No, it would be an issue. As would someone having a TV or any of the other issues that you sign an agreement to agree to uphold while you live there.