What is the Jewish attitude to marriage?
What are the central components of the Jewish wedding ceremony?
Why are the betrothal (erusin) blessings recited under the huppah?
What is the source and symbolism of the wedding canopy (huppah)?
What exactly is the ketubbah (marriage contract)?
Further study and reading
What is the Jewish attitude to marriage?
[1]
The married state is considered a social, moral and religious ideal. Although there was a phenomenon of asceticism and celibacy in certain periods, marriage was consistently considered the ideal state. The purpose of marriage was to procreate.[1] The ideal relationship between God and Israel is depicted by the biblical prophets, as well as in later aggadic literature and liturgical poetry as in imagery drawn from the marriage bond between husband and wife.
[3]
What are the central components of the Jewish wedding ceremony?
The wedding ceremony abounds in customs. Under the bridal canopy (huppah), the officiating individual, usually a rabbi (mesader kiddushin) recites over a cup of wine the blessings of betrothal (erusin). The groom and bride drink from the cup. The groom then slips a ring onto the bride's forefinger and recites: "With this ring, you are wedded to me in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel."[2]
Following the recitation of the seven benedictions, the bridegroom smashes a glass, in memory of the destruction of the Temple (in Germany, a glass was smashed against a stone - huppastein - inserted in the synagogue's exterior wall). The marriage contract (ketubbah) is read, followed by the recitation of the Seven Blessings (Sheva Berakhot)[3] over a second cup of wine, from which the groom and bride are given to drink as well. The wedding festivities then begin.
[2]
Why are the betrothal (erusin) blessings recited under the huppah?
In Talmudic times, and presumably for a considerable time before then, the marriage ceremony was in two parts. The first, called erusin or kiddushin, was effected by the bridegroom handing over in the presence of two witnesses any object of value to the bride and reciting the marriage formula ("Behold you are consecrated to me...."). On this occasion, two benedictions were recited. Although the couple did not live together, yet their marriage was considered binding under personal law.
The second half of the marriage ceremony (nissu'in, also called huppah) was conducted at a later date, often a year later. By the late Middle Ages, erusin (engagement) took place without any immediate change in the legal status of the couple. With time, the two parts of the ceremony were combined, and now take place at one time under the huppah (bridal canopy).[4]
[4]
[5]
Originally the bridal chamber in which a marriage was consummated and in which the nuptials continued for seven days, the huppah now refers to the canopy, symbolizing the chamber under which the wedding ceremony takes place. Huppot (plural for huppah) range in form from richly embroidered canopies to a simple tallit (prayer shawl) supported by four poles. The huppah also symbolizes the new home to be set up by the new couple. The term huppah is often used to refer to the wedding ceremony itself.
What exactly is the ketubbah (marriage contract)?
The ketubbah is a legal document containing the obligations which the bridegroom undertakes toward his bride; according to rabbinic law, this is a prerequisite to marriage. The financial obligations outlined in the ketubbah were intended to serve as an impediment to hasty divorce. Under the terms of the traditional ketubbah, which is written in Aramaic (attesting to its post-biblical origin), the husband is held legally responsible for the proper support of his wife; in the event of divorce she is to receive monetary compensation and in the case of widowhood has a claim on his estate.
In modern ketubbot clauses have been added, as for example, one in which the couple pledges to appear before a rabbinic court in the event of any dispute between them. In addition, many couples in recent years have written their own personal ketubbot, in Hebrew, English or in their spoken language, in which they make spiritual commitments and promises to one another; many of these include biblical and rabbinic verses.[5]
Further study and reading
Diamant, Anita and Cooper, Howard.
Living a Jewish Life; Jewish Customs, Traditions and Values for Today's Family
(HarperCollins, 1991).
Diamant, Anita.
The New Jewish Wedding (Summit Books, 1986).
Klein, Isaac.
Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (JTS/Ktav, 1979).
Donin, Hayim Halevy.
To be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life
(Basic Books, 1972).
Drucker, Malka.
Celebrating Life: Jewish Rites of Passage (Holiday House, 1984).
Jacobs, Louis.
The Book of Jewish Practice (Behrman House, 1987).
Levine, Elizabeth Resnick.
A Ceremonies Sampler: New Rites, Celebrations and Observances of Jewish Women.
(San Diego: Women's Institue for Continuing Jewish Education, 1991).
Maslin, Simeon.
Gates to the Jewish Life Cycle (NY; CCAR, 1979).
Strassfeld, Strassfeld, and Seigel.
The Jewish Catalog (JPS, 1973).