Betrothal celebrations in Prague and Ashkenazi communities: a prism of the interaction of halakha, Kabbalah and society in post-medieval Europe

This study surveys the conflict that arose between the Prague community and the rabbinic leadership with regard to encounters of engaged couples. Rabbis Horowitz, Landsofer, and Eybeschutz viewed these encounters as a grave sin, while the community viewed them as part of the correct process for forming a connection and establishing a family unit. The conflict resulted from the contrast between community customs and contemporary halakhic rulings. According to the early Ashkenazi norm, sexual intercourse without reproductive potential and a gradual marriage process posed no problems. Engagement was viewed as an irreversible commitment to the same degree as marriage. Additionally, there existed a popular perception that connected the laws of purity to marriage. In contrast, the rabbis, who led the struggle, were influenced by the Kabbalistic doctrines emanating from Palestine and preferred written literature to community custom.