The עבירה dance

 

עבירה טאנץ Five hundred years ago, the Minhag in Poland was for the wedding guests, especially the תלמידי חכמים and חשובים to dance holding hands with the כלה. The היתר for this practice was given that it was done כדי לחבבה על בעלה so that her new husband would be proud to be marrying a חשובע כלה and also מפני כבוד אביה - for the כבוד of her father. There was no concern for the guests having illicit thoughts, being it wasn't done as דרך חיבה (affection) and also because they were dancing in public, while others observed them. The מהרש"ל   and others opposed this מנהג. They tried to abolish it. They held this to be a מצוה הבא בעבירה. (Aveirah dance) The מצוה לשמח חתן וכלה by holding hands of an אשת איש About fifty years later, the ב"ח wrote that in his neighborhood this Minhag was still practiced. He didn't condemn it.  However, he did condemn this practice in those areas where there was no such Minhag. Some would hold hands with the כלה but would have a kerchief separating their hands so as not to have skin touching skin. The תורת חיים writes that holding hands is אסור even when a kerchief is used between the hands.                                        מצוה טאנץ At a later date, dancing with the כלה without holding hands was introduced. The כלה would hold on to one corner of a kerchief and the guest to the other corner of the kerchief. This dance finally became known as the Mitzvah Tanz, as opposed to the original Aveirah dance. To accomplish כדי לחבבה על בעלה and מפני כבוד אביה, the תלמידי חכמים and חשובים danced with lots of concentration; hence we have today the Rebbes, etc, dancing with holy כוונות imitating the original concentration of dancing with the כלה. Since there never was a problem of having the father and the grandfathers holding hands with the כלה, that was left intact as the original Minhag of holding hands with the כלה. שו"ע אהע"ז כ"א:ה פתחי תשובה אהע"ז ס"ה:ב

 

Tipping the Badchan

Part of the Mitzvah Tanz ceremony is  to hire a Badchan who sings in rhyme the praises of the individuals  he calls up for  the dance. The Minhag is, the person who was called up, will hand over a monetary  tip to the Badchan.

The origin of this Minhag goes back to the times of the Rishonim.

The Minhag was for the Chazzan to attend weddings and sing a Mi Shebeirach for each guest. It was expected from the guest to pay the Chazzan.

The Agodos Maharsha (Ta’anis 16 D.H.Beiso) is very much against this practice. He considers it  Gezeilah and not a Matana. (The guest never asked for a Mi Shebeirach, and must hand over money unwillingly to the Chazzan)

Going back even earlier in history, Reb Yehuda Hachasid was also against this practice.

The  Or Zarua (113) quotes R. Eliezer Mibhim(Bohemia) who wrote to R.Y. Hachasid defending this Minhag. He says in most towns in Poland, Russia and Hungary they are not Lomdei Torah. It is necessary to hire a Chazzan to be their Shliach

Tzibbur , Moreh Tzedek and teach the children. By not allowing them to earn additional monies at the Chasenes  we won’t find Chazanim  to do this job.

Mitzvah Tanz

Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 21- 5

It is forbidden to be served by a woman at all, whether she is an adult or a minor, whether a slave or free, lest he come to have forbidden thoughts. What service were they speaking of? Washing his face, hands, and feet,--

Rema. Some say that all this is forbidden only when they are alone, but in a place like a bathhouse where many people are found, one may be washed by an idolatrous slave woman, and this is the custom. And some say that anything not done in an affectionate manner where his intent is only for Heaven's sake, is permitted. Thus the custom is to be lenient in these things.

Bach Quotes the Maharshal “ For this reason the minhag is to dance with the Kallah  (hand in hand)

so that her husband will love her or for the kovod of her father, however, Talmidei Chachamim,

 should refrain” (dancing with the kallah)

The Bach adds that in his country (Galicia) “the minhag was, even for Gedolim to dance with the

Kallah. Where the minhag is to dance you  keep the minhag, where there is no such minhag

then there is an issur (to dance with the Kallah).”

The Poskim  who strongly opposed this minhag, (hand in hand) call this a mitzvah haboh beaveiro.

Eventually the Rabonim managed to abolish this minhag of dancing hand in hand with the kallah

and instituted instead to dance with a napkin held by the kallah.

 For the father and grandfathers of the kallah there never was a problem holding hands and

therefore the minhag continues on until today.

The Chasidim replaced the napkin with a gartel, probably to keep a further distance  from the

Kallah or could  be they had no napkins.

Dancing and being measmeach the kallah is a Mitzvah (Tur –mitzvah gedolah) and by using

a gartel or napkin it becomes a MITZVAH  instead of a Mitzvah Haboh Beaveiro.

For those who who never had the original minhag (hand in hand) there was no need to

institute the new minhag of using a napkin or gartel. Hence the opposition of the

Yeshivishe people for todays Mitzvah Tanz.