Rabbi Shapira
Photo: Dudi Vaknin
Rabbi urges better pay for matchmakers
High pay for amateur matchmakers could help solve problem of late marriage among religious sector, rabbi says
High payments to matchmakers could help solve the growing problem of late marriage in the religious sector, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, head of the Ramat Gan hesder yeshiva, stated in an article published in the synagogue leaflet Komemiyut this weekend.
Shapira believes that if parents would be willing to spend more money to reward those who introduced their child to his or her future spouse, this could significantly change the matchmaking scene.
In haredi society, for example, it is customary to pay at least $2,000 to the matchmaker responsible for the "shidduch" (the match).
"The phenomenon of late marriages creates another serious problem – an impossible burden on the 'amateur' matchmakers," the rabbi explained. "The matchmaker invests plenty of time in making phone calls and in offers that eventually fall through. He then spends time in helping and counseling the couple.
"If we multiply this with the number of attempts and couples, we'll see how this could lead to a breakdown among matchmakers," he added.
The rabbi said that while families usually invest tens of thousands of shekels on a wedding, they are more reluctant to pay the matchmakers who made the event possible.
"High pay to matchmakers is important and they justly deserve it," he concluded.
