The Mishnah in Taanis (26b) tells us that there were no days as festive in Israel as the 15th of Av (Tu B’Av), which was celebrated last week, and Yom Kippur, when Jewish maidens would go out into the vineyards and dance as single men watched. They would say, “Young man, see what you choose for yourself.” Some wits would compare this to Sadie Hawkins, the fictional character in Li’l Abner who switches the norm and has women invite men to date them.
Why the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur? That is discussed in the Gemara, with various episodes of good tidings that happened on that day. (Yom Kippur was obvious, as it was a day of forgiveness of sin, but Tu B’Av had special reasons; see the Gemara on 30b.)
It seems we’ve come a long way since those days. Can you imagine having girls dance today, entertaining young men as possible suitors? What would happen to the shidduch scene? Today, concerts in Israel must be dedicated entirely to either men or women. Separate seating is not good enough.
It is unheard of in yeshivah circles to have mixed seating at weddings. It was not that long ago that yeshivah dinners and chareidi weddings had mixed seating. Don’t believe it? There are plenty of pictures to prove it.
In Israel, there are mehadrin buses where men and women sit completely separately. There was even a move to have gender-separated sidewalks in Bnei Brak.
In kashrus, as well, there was a time when average shechitah was accepted by everyone. Then along came the Hungarians and introduced glatt kosher. Not to be outdone, a new standard of chasidishe shechitah became the norm.
With consumer items, as well, we would read the wrapper on the candy; and if there were no obviously offensive ingredients, such as gelatin or stearates, we ate the candy or any other packaged goods. Today, we wouldn’t have a glass of seltzer without a reliable hashgachah or two.
So, what has happened to us? Are we that much more punctilious in our observance than in previous years? Don’t we assume that the generations have become weaker with time? We cannot compare our g’dolim to those of the period of the Rishonim. Neither can they be compared to those of the period of the Geonim before them, and certainly not to those of the era of the Talmud. We cannot even compare ourselves to pre-World War II Jewry.
I believe it’s a matter of confidence. We were much more confident in ourselves in earlier years. We did not have to worry that if men and women were seen together, it could lead to something scandalous. We did not need artificial barriers. Today, we live in a much more promiscuous society, where our awareness of impropriety needs to be heightened. But there should be a limit. Having segregated concerts is a bit over the top. Gender-separated sidewalks are next-level. It is not a sign of a healthy society when such extreme steps must be taken.
With kashrus, it’s a different story. With time, the American kosher consumer became much more aware of the pitfalls that can occur with many manufactured goods. But with shechitah, I believe that here, too, much is due to a lack of confidence. Whereas shechitah in the past was reliant upon the Rema, who says that the lungs of an animal that have easily removable blisters are kosher, today we are just not confident enough in ourselves to hold to that standard, and so we insist on glatt, which basically means no lesions at all. I suppose it is an upgrade to insist on glatt, but glatt has taken on a meaning of its own. It has come to mean a superior standard of kashrus. Hence, all respected hashgachos proclaim that they are glatt. I have seen packages of fish that say glatt, as well as other processed foods. We just feel better if it states “glatt.” Chasidishe shechitah is totally unwarranted but has become the accepted standard today. We simply cannot leave well enough alone.
So, higher standards are welcome, but there is an underlying lack of confidence in many instances. That is something to keep in mind.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.