MARRIAGE KIDDUSHIN

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MARRIAGE KIDDUSHIN
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Preparing for the Wedding!!

• The wedding can be set for any day except the
  Sabbath day or any Jewish festival day.
• A few days before the Wedding the bride will
  visit the Mikveh her Mother or a close friend
  will also go with her.
• Sexual relations before the Wedding are strictly
  forbidden.
• On the Shabbat before the Wedding the groom is
  called to do the reading of the Torah in the
  Sabbath service. People will throw nuts and
  raisins or sweets at him as a symbol of a sweet
  life. In some communities,Synagogues will be
  filled with the scent of fragrant scents.

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The Wedding Ceremony

• The ceremony will take place under a Huppah. This
  is a canopy which the couple stand under.
• It is open on all sides which symbolises that
  they are not separated from their community.
• The canopy covers the bride and groom as it
  represents divine light and the light of
  creation. Sometimes Weddings are held outside
  under the sky.
• Although it is a day of great joy for the couple,
  it is also a day of stock taking and asking for
  forgiveness before setting out upon a new stage
  of life. Both the bride and the groom fast
  leading up to the Ceremony. In their afternoon
  prayers they make a confession of sin as in the
  Yom Kippur service.

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The Marriage Ceremony

• The order of the marriage ceremony is -
• Birchat Eirusin (Initial Blessings)- The Rabbi
  recites two blessings over a cup of wine. The
  first blessing is always recited before the
  drinking of the wine. The second blessing praises
  God for sanctifying the people of Israel by his
  commandments about marriage. The wine is then
  passed to the groom and then to the bride.
• The Ring The groom then places the ring on the
  brides finger and says in Hebrew with this ring
  you are sanctified to me according to the law of
  Moses and Israel
• Reading of the Ketubah This is simply a
  statement of the husbands intention to feed,
  clothe and care for his wife.
• Birchat Nisuin (Final Blessings) The Rabbi the
  recites 7 blessings, praising God for creating
  the human race, creating joy and gladness and
  bringing happiness to the couple. After the
  ceremony the groom breaks a glass with his foot.
  The sound of the glass breaking symbolises
  destruction calling to mind the ancient Temple.

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• Yichud (Private Togetherness) Straight after
  the ceremony the bride and groom will be taken to
  a private room. Here they will be alone together
  for a short while before joining their guests.
  They then break their fast and spend a few
  moments relaxing.
• Shiva Brachot ( Seven Blessings) - In
  traditional communities, the wedding celebrations
  continue for a week. There is a celebration feast
  each night and the bride and groom will be
  honoured guests in homes of different people. At
  the end of each meal, Shiva Brachot is said.
  These are the same 7 blessings which were said
  under the Huppah.

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Importance of Marriage

• It provides a stable environment for bringing up
  children
• You can fulfil Be fruitful and multiply and fill
  earth written in Genesis 1 said by God.
• Judaism teaches that An unmarried woman is like
  an unfinished vessel

• In Judaism it is taught that the proper place for
  sex is within marriage.
• In Proverbs 18v22 it says A man without a wife
  is not complete
• It is important for both husband and wife to be
  Jewish. Children are not considered Jewish unless
  the Mother is Jewish.