SHTREIMEL....Chassidic Levush or also a FAD

↑ Ruchel ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:15 am

GR wrote:

what happens when the fad disappears? do the shtreimlach disappear too? Confused

Yes, they do. One of my cousins started wearing one "just because", and when his friends stopped so did he.

↑ merpk

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:27 am

Ruchel wrote:

There's also this trend of being Breslev (or saying you are). I don't know why.

My rebbe z'l always said that everyone has two rebbes, the rebbe that they make/choose for themselves *and* Rebbe Nachman.

So I guess we're all Breslov.

Smile

↑ gryp ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:39 am

Quote:

Yes, they do. One of my cousins started wearing one "just because", and when his friends stopped so did he.

I think its really sad.
(please dont take offense for your cousin.)

I would be pretty upset if it were my minhag that became a fad.

↑ Ruchel

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:43 am

GR wrote:

Quote:

Yes, they do. One of my cousins started wearing one "just because", and when his friends stopped so did he.

I think its really sad.
(please dont take offense for your cousin.)

I would be pretty upset if it were my minhag that became a fad.

I'm not offended, I find it totally not respectful.

sunflower mom ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:54 am

I know this is out ofcontext but I feel that this is important to write. Streimels are very expensive. IMHO they should be removed from the levush or the rebbes should make it mandatory to only wear synthetic ones or something like that. In general, this whole hat business is crazy. I understand that it is part of the levush but why can't it be okay for everyone to wear those $35 ones? I don't think that your average man/bochur would wear those simply b/c it's not "chassidish" or something. Men & boys sometimes need 2 hats a year - thats like a minimum of $500 to add to the budget!
So if streimlach are a fad - that's a pretty expensive fad to follow!

↑ gryp ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 10:11 am

Thank you Ruchel, for understanding. Smile

Quote:

IMHO they should be removed from the levush

Quote:

So if streimlach are a fad - that's a pretty expensive fad to follow!

that made me wonder also.
the price very possibly may be part of the reason why people want to follow the fad.

↑ Blossom ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 5:17 pm

Sunflower I surely hope you didn't mean those that follow wearing a Shtreimel because it's a Chassidish Levush and they wear it for that reason.
Otherwise I totally agree with you. If they buy it for a FAD then it's a very expensive Fad indeed and should be discouraged.
However I know people who like it because it's nice and wear it although they're not Chassidish and they are not planning to take it off. So for them it's not really that they're wearing it for Levush and neither for a Fad. I guess they just like it.

↑ gryp ↓

Wed, May 24 2006, 6:00 pm

Quote:

By the way, I know of a Lubavitcher who wears a shtreimel.

tzivi, I know more than one. Wink

when these Chasidim came over to Lubavitch from whichever Chasidus they were born into, the Rebbe told them not to change their levush.

↑ tzivi

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:18 pm

GR wrote:

Quote:

By the way, I know of a Lubavitcher who wears a shtreimel.

tzivi, I know more than one. Wink

when these Chasidim came over to Lubavitch from whichever Chasidus they were born into, the Rebbe told them not to change their levush.

Actually the one I know always was a Lubavitcher, but married a Chassidishe lady and put on a shtreimel for her. They divorced (only married very briefly) and he kept the shtreimel. By the way it looks great on him! 8)

PinkandYellow ↓

Thu, May 25 2006, 1:32 am

maybe they see it as a sign of kovod.
My dh said that he feels if he reaches a certain level in learning and has certain amount of kids he would think of wearing a bekeshe on shabbos as a levush standing for kovod. we are litvish.
when my dh became religious he asked a shailah- his father was yekke and he wore a tallis at his bar mitzvah but then he wasn't frum, now he's frum should he wear a tallis (b/4 getting married) and do other yekkie minhagim or should he do litvish bec he is in a litvish yeshiva? he ws told to do like the litvish. we will prob ask a shaila again when our son is bar mitzvah. but like dh always points out, his family was chasidish b/4 they moved to germany and made themselves yekkie. and I always say back- b/4 the baal shem tov, everyone was litvish.

this streimel thing is maybe like the upsherin thing. its a chasidish minhag, but litvish ppl do it bec they think its cute. although now we are told its minhag yerushalayim and if we cut our son's hair b/4 3, he will be the only one and the kids'll make fun of him. but we don't live in yerushalayim, rather right outside it and we'll ask a shaila when the time comes.

↑ sunflower mom

Thu, May 25 2006, 9:50 am

Quote:

IMHO they should be removed from the levush

Shocked

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear enough. What I meant was as follows: In Ger, there are limits to how much one can spend on a wedding, the amount of guests invited, etc... These standards/limitations have been set to prevent outrageous spending and people trying to compete or outdo one another. Wearing a streimel is a levush or to word it differently an article of clothing which is worn by chassidish groups since it is a standard of dress by them. This standard/fad is costly and the rebbes need to take this into account. I get really hung up about these things when I see families struggling to make do and then to top it off, they have these kind of expenses - because it's part of the levush! I am in no way mocking the levush, I think it is a beautiful thing. However...
Along the same lines (but I think it belongs in a different thread) when meshulachim knock on your door for hachmosas kallah, and many times, this $$$ is going towards buying the couple an apt, furnishing it, etc... Is this really hachnosas kallah? Just b/c it's a standard in certain communities - it is definitely not necessary.

mumsy23

Thu, May 25 2006, 9:57 am

Quote:

. Men & boys sometimes need 2 hats a year - thats like a minimum of $500 to add to the budget!

I have been married 3 years and my husband only got a new hat last year (and he didn't get a new one when he got married)

mimsy7420

Thu, May 25 2006, 10:12 am

Quote:

Along the same lines (but I think it belongs in a different thread) when meshulachim knock on your door for hachmosas kallah, and many times, this $$$ is going towards buying the couple an apt, furnishing it, etc... Is this really hachnosas kallah? Just b/c it's a standard in certain communities - it is definitely not necessary.

I don't know - when I got married I kinda needed somewhere to live. I'm not sure in which community the standard is to live in the street. shock

[/quote]

↑ gryp

Thu, May 25 2006, 10:29 am

Quote:

What I meant was as follows: In Ger, there are limits to how much one can spend on a wedding, the amount of guests invited, etc... These standards/limitations have been set to prevent outrageous spending and people trying to compete or outdo one another. Wearing a streimel is a levush or to word it differently an article of clothing which is worn by chassidish groups since it is a standard of dress by them. This standard/fad is costly and the rebbes need to take this into account. I get really hung up about these things when I see families struggling to make do and then to top it off, they have these kind of expenses - because it's part of the levush!

im with you on the outrageous expenses.
but the shtreimel is not a fad for Chaseedishe people, its a standard.
yes, its expensive, but so are other things.
some things you cant drop though, and some you can.

↑ chen

Thu, May 25 2006, 11:45 am

only1 wrote:

I don't know - when I got married I kinda needed somewhere to live. I'm not sure in which community the standard is to live in the street. shock

OT here, but #1 it's possible to rent; and #2 one doesn't have to start married life with the apt. full of new furniture, designer linens, silver judaica, and major and minor appliances that seem to be the current expectation in many circles. many people start married life in a rented apt. with a few sticks of second-hand furniture, plastic dinnerware for four, and an eggbeater. and they still survive happily ever after.

↑ PinkandYellow

Thu, May 25 2006, 10:12 pm

Quote:

Men & boys sometimes need 2 hats a year - thats like a minimum of $500 to add to the budget!

my dh gets one new hat a year (roughly) and his old shabbos is downgraded to weekday and weekday is downgraded to rain hat. and the new hat costs no more than $150. and if for some strange reason he needs a weekday he can get for $50.