Not Quite All Black-and-White

I was in the Braslav (Breslov/Bratzlav) bookstore in Meah Shearim (^) today. No men were behind the counter as the Frank family which runs in are quite central to the annual Rosh hashana pilrimage to Umman and so they are already there preparing.

As I came in, I thought I saw two "Taliban women" in the back but it turned out to be a different story entirely.

Here they are leaving:

Photo credit: YMedad

As they left, they asked the girl if she forgave them and she replied in the positive.

So, who were they? What did they purchase?

The were two Russian Orthodox nuns.

And they has purchased a set of the Selichot order of service, the special penitential prayers said just before the High Holiday season until the eve of Yom Kippur.

Oh, and here is the Bet Medrash of Braslav getting reading, hiding the 'tribunes' (*) used by the women to enter the Ezrat Nashim from the outside as the building's internal architecture is all male:

Photos credit


(*)
Tribunes is the term used to describe the stands or bleachers on which the Chasidim stand en masse high up to watch the action, as in this usage:

Hundreds of Hasidim stand on the tribunes and watch the Purim Spiel together with their Rebbe.

(^)

אגודת משך הנחל

רחוב מאה שערים 110

ת.ד. 5719 ירושלים 91056

טלפקס: 02-6273120

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