Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef came out against marriage proposals that include giving a ring in the presence of people.
According to Rabbi Yosef, such a situation is problematic from a halachic standpoint, including due to the fact that it resembles an actual marriage ceremony in which a ring is given in the presence of witnesses, though it is not perceived as an actual ceremony by the participants.
In a letter he sent to city rabbis who consulted him over the spread of the phenomenon among yeshiva students, Rabbi Yosef responded that the practice should be protested. His comments were published this morning, Tuesday, on Kikar Hashabat.
"We must protest and instruct to abolish this bad custom, which entails many obstacles, out of fear of the severe violation of adultery [‘eshet ish’],” Rabbi Yosef wrote.
He added, "How much more so is there a lack of modesty here, and this is not a custom that is in the spirit of Israel through the ages. Anyone who has the power to prevent it will be blessed."