Wedding Ceremony
The Celebration Begins at 5 PM
Kaballat Panim & Chatan's Tisch
Jewish tradition teaches that on the day of their wedding, the Chatan (groom) and Kallah (bride) are likened to royalty and should be treated as such. Therefore, the bride sits in a throne-like chair during the kaballat panim (receiving of guests) while guests come to greet her and rejoice in her happiness. At the same time, the groom sits at the head of a special tisch (table) accompanied by his friends and family as they sing in his honor. Along with singing, words of Torah are shared. Here also the Tenaim (the document laying out the formal conditions of the engagement) is signed by two aidim (witnesses) and read out loud. After it is read, the Chatan’s and Kallah’s mothers break a plate signifying that the unification of the couple is irreversible and should not be broken. Next, two more witnesses sign the Ketubah (marriage contract) that the groom will give to the bride.
Bedeken
The groom, accompanied by his father and father-in-law, is now escorted by his friends and relatives to the bride in a festive procession of singing and dancing. He meets the Kallah and lowers her veil over her face, reminiscent of the story of Rebecca veiling herself before she met Isaac. The bride’s and groom’s parents then bless them with the traditional parental blessing, along with a special blessing of their own.
The wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony takes place under a chupah (canopy), a symbol of the home to be built and shared by the couple. The chupah is open on all sides, as was the tent of Abraham and Sarah, to show that the couple will always welcome family, friends and even strangers into their home with unconditional hospitality. The wedding procession begins, with the groom walking in before the bride, in order to be able to greet her and escort her into their symbolic new home. After arriving at the chupah, the bride circles the groom seven times accompanied by their mothers. The number seven is significant because the Torah recounts the seven days of creation.
The Jewish marriage ceremony has two distinct parts, kiddushin (betrothal) and nissuin (nuptials). Kiddushin consists of two blessings. The first is over wine, the traditional symbol of joy, and the second blessing acknowledges the sanctity of the relationship between husband and wife. The couple then takes a sip of the wine. In front of two witnesses, the groom then places a plain ring containing no stones on the bride’s right index finger and says the following: “Behold, with this ring you are sanctified unto me with the laws of Moses and Israel.” The ring symbolizes the unity and harmony of marriage that, like the ring, has no end. The ketubah is then read out loud in Aramaic and presented to the bride. This ends the kiddushin part of the wedding.
The nissuin consists of the sheva berachot (seven blessings), also over wine. Seven relatives, close friends or distinguished guests are called to the chupah for this honor. The blessings invoke the Almighty’s blessings upon the couple, His creation of humanity, the restoration of Zion and the rejoicing of the bride and groom. After the seventh blessing the groom breaks a glass, a reminder of the destruction of the Temple. Even at the time of their greatest joy, the couple must not forget the sorrows experienced by their people and their responsibility to the Jewish community and homeland. The bride and groom are then escorted again in a joyous recessional to the yichud (private) room, symbolic of the couple’s new private relationship. These moments in seclusion are the final legal moments of the nissuin.
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