On Photographs and Transitions

Playing on facebook, I am astounded at the number of cumulative photographs from this latest wedding (that of noam_rion and his lovely bride, my friend and colleague Steve). I knew there were a lot of photos taken- (I even took some, even with my total lack of a camera currently, thinking I was being given one friend's camera to take photos with during the chuppah- it turned out to be someone else's camera entirely, but as he too had wanted someone to take photos for him, it all turned out well.) And while many of them are very similar, it's interesting seeing it all from different points of view.

Since shabbos, though, I've been thinking about the visible changes that result from these weddings (the one I was at, and that of some other friends who married a week prior)- seeing the bride the very next day, this time with a hat was, although quite expected, somehow something that I was very conscious of. I imagine that in the bride's shoes it must feel pretty strange too, especially since before this, she'd made a point of not wearing hats. I think this may have been the first time I've seen someone right after the wedding- and therefore not had time to see photos or whatnot. It's hardly a big deal really, but somehow it seemed like a reaction worth noting.

Perhaps it was a stronger reaction since I'm working on learning the layning for this coming Shabbat, the first aliyah of which discusses vows- and much of which discusses a husband's veto rights on his wife's vows, and the transition from her being under her father's authority to that of her husband. It is a text that I have some trouble with- I suppose I've never taken the time to really deal with the topic, so it's hardly a surprise. But it seems like a fairly reasonable presumption to see the connection between that and the visible symbolism.

Tomorrow Drisha is taking us to see some things in the JTS rare book room. It seemed silly to go there and come right back an hour and a half later, so my chevruta (And there is a whole story there too: I'd been working with one woman last week who was both significantly less experienced with Gemara than I am. At the same time, the woman I'd worked with for a few days the previous week asked me if we could work together this week, as her chevruta has found a job again, so won't be there. I told her I'd love to, but didn't want to leave my then-current chevruta alone. So this morning we first thought we'd work as a trio, then the other woman found someone else who didn't have a chevruta, then my previous chevruta told me that she'd like to switch to work with someone who worked slower. So I went to join the woman who'd asked to work with me and the other person, but the other person now said that she didn't want to work in a trio, and went back to working on her own. So all's well that ends well- but it was a few minutes of real confusion this morning.) is coming here to meet me, and we'll meet everyone at the library at 11, instead. The whole thing seems nice for many of my classmates but not Terribly exciting- but the fact that I'll get to sleep in a good bit is something I'm looking forward to. That said, off I go to sleep, so that the sleeping in is actually more sleep than I'd get otherwise.