What a simcha to see Shaarei Orah’s own Joshua Schulz marry a wonderful young lady, Rachel Lina (Lini) Sassen, this past week in Israel! The young couple returned for sheva brachot in New Jersey this past week, concluding at a seudah shelishit at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. It is especially gratifying to see Joshua’s beautiful development from a young boy at Shaarei Orah to his emergence as a charismatic, young ben Torah. I had the double pleasure of serving as Joshua’s rav at Shaarei Orah and rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County, where Joshua graduated in 2009.
The Sephardic standards for sheva brachot, though, are more stringent that those of Ashkenazic Jews. It is well known that the presence of panim chadashot (new faces; i.e., people who have not yet participated in the wedding parties) is required in order to recite sheva brachot during the week after the wedding. Whereas for Ashkenazic Jews, one person suffices for panim chadashot, Hacham Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yabia Omer 3 Even HaEzer 11) insists that Sephardic practice follows the Rambam who requires two panim chadashot (as indicated by the use of the plural “panim chadashot”).
Moreover, while Ashkenazic Jews follow the Rama, that Shabbat is regarded as panim chadashot even regarding seudah shelishit, Sephardim follow the ruling of Maran that actual panim chadashot are required at seudah shelishit (as noted in the aforementioned Teshuvot Yabia Omer). I was delighted to note that both requirements were met at the seudah shelishit held in honor of Lini and Yehoshua’s wedding at Shaarei Orah.
There would seem, though, to be a problem with conducting sheva brachot at Shaarei Orah. After all, Sephardic practice, insists Hacham Ovadia, is for sheva brachot to take place only at the beit chatan, the marital residence. I have been told, though, by a number of knowledgeable Sephardic laypeople and rabbanim, that many Sephardic Jews have not accepted this ruling of Hacham Ovadia. They note that the marital residence is usually a quite small space and woefully inadequate to host a sheva brachot. Moreover, the marital residence is often hardly in order and ready to host a series of parties immediately after the wedding. Had this ruling of Hacham Ovadia been accepted, the recitation of sheva brachot for Sephardic Jews would have been eviscerated. Thus, it is accepted among many Sephardic Jews that the conditions have changed since the time of the Gemara, and sheva brachot may be recited even outside the beit chatan. The Gemara (Sukkah 25b) states that simcha occurs only at the marital residence. Today, simcha is not possible at the marital residence.
We were all ready for sheva brachot when I realized that it might be too late to recite sheva brachot! Lini and Joshua were married the previous Sunday before shkiah (sunset), and thus Sunday counted as the first day of sheva brachot. Since shkiah had already passed, it seemed that we could no longer recite sheva brachot! Although Maran Hachida (Rav Yosef Haim Azulay, a major Sephardic authority) permits the recital of sheva brachot for the entire week (i.e., until 168 hours after the chupah have elapsed), Hacham Ovadia (Teshuvot Yabia Omer 5 Even HaEzer 7:2) notes that the consensus rejects this approach.
However, I was delighted to find that Hacham Ovadia (Teshuvot Yabia Omer op. cit.) and Hacham Yitzhak Yosef (Yalkut Yosef Sova Semachot 1:113) permits recital of sheva brachot in such circumstances before tzeit hakochavim (nightfall). He notes that the time between shkiah and tzeit, referred to as bein hashemashot, is regarded as safek yom safek layla, uncertain as to its identity as either day or night (Ritva and Rav Soloveitchik explain that this means that this time period has elements of both day and night and thus is regarded as both day and night).
Moreover, Hacham Ovadia and Hacham Yitzhak add that there is a safek, possibility, that we follow Rabbeinu Tam that the halachic day continues until 58 minutes after astronomical sunset. Hacham Ovadia and Hacham Yitzhak often take this opinion into account, as do we at Shaarei Orah. For example, we endeavor to wait for the end of Yom Kippur by Rabbeinu Tam’s standards (72 minutes after shkiah) before we recite Havdalah on that most holy day. Accordingly, Hacham Yitzhak concludes that we recite sheva brachot on the seventh day after the chupah, during the time period of bein hashmashot. We note that we may add, as a third safek, the opinion of the Chida that sheva brachot is recited a full seven days/168 hours after the chupah.
One last halachic hurdle was to be overcome. Once Birkat HaMazon of seudah shelishit is recited, we are not permitted to eat until Havdalah. How could we drink from the kosot of the sheva brachot after Birkat HaMazon?! While there is wide discussion and a variety of opinions on the matter, Shaarei Orah follows the ruling of Hacham Ovadia (Teshuvot Yabia Omer op. cit. and 8 Orah Haim 33) permitting the drinking of the kosot even before Havdalah.
There is no greater joy than witnessing the blossoming of a young congregant from a boy into a very capable young man who is deeply committed to Torah and marrying a wonderful kallah who shares his values. What a joy it was to have the privilege of reciting the concluding sheva brachot for Josh and Lini at one of the chatan’s spiritual foundations, Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck!
By Rabbi Haim Jachter
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a Rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.
