Huge fences and ushers greeted me last night when I arrived in Kiryat Belza in Jerusalem, a few minutes after the wedding of the Rebbe's granddaughter with the groom chosen for her had ended.
The huge tent that was set up especially for the Hasidic wedding of the year is already filling up with thousands of Hasids – from small children to the elders of the Hasidic community, with the one thing they all have in common is an entrance ticket with the guest's name stamped on it. Without this, I have no doubt that there would have been speculation at prices that would not even put the Euroleague finals to shame a few weeks ago.
But a kosher phone number from one of the senior Hasidim who had come to my attention a few hours earlier was supposed to arrange the coveted entrance ticket for me.
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There are moments when I thank my parents for sending me as a child to a Yiddish-speaking chaplain. Thus, in a short phone call, in a language that was already almost stored in the back of my mind, in combination with the security guards who stood in the first and second circle in front of the encampment, they helped me make my way inside - and the spiritual experience that had already begun to accompany me began to intensify by the moment.
Masterful arrangement, polished production
Last Saturday - right here in the vast tent, the 'parspil' was held - the grand bachelor party, with the participation of the Rebbe, the groom and thousands of enthusiastic Hasidim. Everyone danced and sang as one to the sounds of music, as the elders of the Hasidim came up to the table with musical instruments known as 'di shtime muzik', a reminder of the age-old tradition in the Holy Courtyard from the days of Hasidism, when it was still in Galicia before the war.
Belz Hasidism, founded about 250 years ago, is one of the largest Hasidic sects in the world - with an estimated 6,000 families. What is interesting is that during the Holocaust, the glorious Hasidism was almost wiped out, and therefore its recovery is nothing short of amazing.
The Rebbe at the time, Rabbi Aharon Rokach, zt"l, narrowly escaped the Nazis and managed to reach the Land of Israel. He established his seminary in Tel Aviv and began the restoration of Hasidism, but in 1957 he died without a son to succeed him. The Hasids who refused to give up their rabbi, or in the Galician pronunciation used by Hasidism - "the Rebbe", crowned his nephew "Issachar Dov", when he was only nine years old - which earned him the nickname "Hinuka".
He married at the age of 17 and was childless for 10 years, until his only son, Aharon Mordechai, was born in 1975. It is not for nothing that one of the well-known blessings for longevity among Hasidim is: "May you be blessed to see the distribution of Hasidism in Belz," because it will be many more years before the Rebbe's grandchildren will begin the battle for inheritance, as often happens in Hasidic courts.
As soon as I entered the magnificent tent last night, I couldn't help but notice the exemplary order and the incredibly polished production. On the Frenches on which thousands of Hasidim stood, bags were attached containing a box of sweet kugel, 2 slices of gefilte fish and a roll. Here, every Hasidim has a name - next to the bag was a sticker with the name of the person who would soon take his place. Drink cartons and glasses were arranged under each floor of the giant towers, ready to be retrieved at any moment.
These were moving and exciting hours, the special atmosphere that captured everyone as one unit, when the Rebbe entered the huge stage and took his seat, the singing of the Hasidim who were happy that here, another foundation in this mighty dynasty had just been planted, the precision and order that reigned in every corner, with an invisible hand overseeing everything, left me speechless and my whole body saying: "Just let me experience this one more time.".
The highlight of his life
Until the wee hours of the night, thousands of Hasidim moved in natural and perfect choreography, swaying to the rhythm of the drums and the voices of the choir members. Everyone there had an insatiable gaze and a smile on their face. Each one behaved as if it were a member of their family getting married.
So for a moment or even more, I felt it too.
Here, each of this vast group raised their eyes to their rabbi, who sat center stage next to the young groom, giving him their blessing. The groom also knows that at 17, he is experiencing the pinnacle of his life, and already at such a young age.
For a moment, my thoughts carried me hundreds of meters away. I reflected on the bride who at that moment was in another tent, surrounded by thousands of women, giving her strength. In about two hours, she too would arrive here - one woman in front of thousands of men, to watch her grandfather - the Rebbe, dance the Tanz mitzvah in her honor with her husband, whom she had not yet had time to meet.
But it doesn't matter to her either, she is part of the glorious Belza dynasty.
