Sunday, May 21, 2006

Shaving To Make Her Happy

Rabbi Mordechasi Eliyahu's weekly portion sheet, "Kol Tzofayich" #356, (which can be read here) contains an episodal anecdote that will twitch your toes.

Incidentally to a discussion on shaving for/on Lag B'Omer, Rav Eliyahu recalls a Talmid Chacham [scholar] who was used to shaving with an electric razor but on the day following his wedding, he stopped shaving. Two days later, his wife asked him, "why aren't you shaving?" and he repleid, "a Chatan [newly-wedded man] is forbidden to do 'Melacha' 'work', and therefore, I am not shaving."

The wife continued, "what type a newly created laws are you making?" and she went to Rav Eliyahu to complain. He asked her, "do you pay special attention to the need for your husband to shave (i.e., is she insistent that he shave)?" and when she replied in the affirmative, he called the scholar to him.

He then told him he is obligated to make his wife happy during the seven day post-wedding period [even though they would not be physical after the first intercourse do to Jewish laws of purity] and that what was meant by a Chatan being free from doing work was for the purpose of making his wife happy and since his wife is happy when he shaves, then he is obligated to do so.

That's a smart Rabbi.

Even DovBer would agree, methinks.

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