The holiday of Purim marks the closure of the age of open miracles. It was a time when Hashem saved His entire nation and spoiled the evil designs of our enemies. But it also marked the beginning of a new phase in our nation’s history. Hashem would speak to us through the veil of chance, coincidence and circumstance. We don’t need to go far back to see examples of this. I had the pleasure of personally hearing about an occurrence demonstrating Hashem’s guidance over our community.
The story was told by Harav Yitzchak Yisraeli, the Chief Bukharian Rabbi of USA and Canada. He had a case in Bet Din (Rabbinic court) where he faced with a case that threw a shadow over a potentially large group of people in the Bukharian community. It was discovered that back in the old country, a number of divorced women had received Gittin (Letters of Divorce) that were not properly prepared. Many of these women remarried without knowing that their first marriages were still legally existent. As it stood, this scenario would have enormous repercussions for the families dealing with this issue; Harav Yisraeli needed to dig deep. What he found was truly miraculous.
The Bukharian community is known for its great respect of elderly family members. The Bet Din found that in all of the seemingly problematic cases, the status of the first marriages caused no impediment to the second marriages because they were always, due to ignorance of the Halacha, ratified by witnesses who were prominent, bona fide (and thus disqualified) family members! These couples who were deprived of this knowledge regarding Chupah ceremony witnesses never needed a Get to divorce. This characteristic sensitivity to our elders and family saved future generations from tremendous heartache.
HaRav Yisraeli remarked that the USSR attempted to destroy the Jewish family by depriving it of a proper education, and Hashem turned that very plan on its head to ensure that Jewish families remained whole!
On Sunday March 17th, Chief Bukharin Rabbi HaRav Yisraeli together with Rav Rafael Zevulunov of Cong. Ohr HaTorah, Rav Nachum Kaziev of Ohr Natan and Rav Nissan Gavrielov of Be’er Hagolah invited community couples to the Ohr Natan community Center and provided closure and personal attention to their Ketubot (marriage certificates). Together, the rabbanim inspected many documents, asked detailed questions, and made all the necessary adjustments.
In what is surely a work in progress, the Chief Bukharian Rabbinate’s work highlights the miracles which saved our ancestors from the evil designs of their enemies. Every Ketubah which faced correction is actually a testimony to Hashem’s unrelenting and infinite Love for His children, throughout all generations.
Like Haman in the Purim episode, the USSR tried to destroy the Jewish nation. They tried to cause us to forget the laws and customs which make us a unique nation, but Hashem upended their plot.
Many of us may carry a beautiful Megilat Esther in our house to remember that Hashem always ‘peers through the curtain’ to guide us. However, the couples who came to Ohr Natan that Sunday to adjust their Ketubot now have a personal memento of their own, demonstrating Hashem’s guiding Hand. Baruch Hashem, we today live in a setting where detecting and fixing these types of mistakes is readily available. Anyone who suspects that their Ketubah may contain any mistakes must consult with their Rav to get it checked.
By Adam Suionov
Chief Bukharian Rabbi Yitzchak Yisraeli Joins Ohr Natan In A Special Ketubot Checking Event
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