Uncle Sam:
I sympathize much. You have a valid point – the flair and huge public displays are not the definition of Chassidus. It is sad that we have stooped to a seriously low level with regards to our Avodas Hashem, where the external trappings are misidentified as the עיקר, and the real essence of Chassidus is relatively ignored. For those of us that were raised on ספורי צדיקים, many of the stories centered around the poverty of the Rebbes, their obsession with giving away every last dime to tzedokoh, the true kedusha of the simple and unlearned Yid, and the uncompromising humility of the tzaddikim. Today, these stories are shelved with the fiction books. We have replaced them with contests of chasunah size, photos circulated in the media and cyberspace, and various public displays of wealth and grandeur.
And the Litvishe Yeshivishe world is not far behind. The weddings of Roshei Yeshivos’ children and grandchildren are as pressworthy as the Chassidishe. It is as if the publicity/marketing actually matters. You are correct, but just edit the title of this thread “Chassidus” to include the rest of the frum world.
What has actually occurred, בעוונותינו הרבים, is that our leaders have achieved a new status that is one of the ideals of the current era. CELEBRITY. Every Rosh Yeshiva, Rov, Rebbe, has that potential. And many unfortunately reckon with it. In the handicapped generation we are in, followers (chassidim or talmidim) are easily attracted to this. If this only happened in the performing arts, that’s one thing. But when our leaders become performers and are followed by the equivalent of paparazzi, we’re in trouble.
It’s not that the large weddings are problematic. But when chassidus is defined by this, we are in a desperate situation. I join you in hoping that our leaders can redirect us to true Avodas Hashem.