Jewish Weddings : Elaborate Yet Meaningful Customs
"So God cast a deep sleep upon the man and he slept; and He took one of his sides and he filled in flesh in its place. Then God fashioned the side that He had taken from the man into a woman, and He brought her to the man." (Genesis 2:21,22).
These words from the first book of the Old testament are not just mere words, but the real truth that no man is complete without a woman and vice versa. Adam enjoyed his life in the garden of Eden but it was the birth of Eve that gave a complete meaning to his life. An individual can be content on his own but to be happy he needs somebody by his side. Someone to whom he can shout out his joy and sorrows. Man and woman as friends could be there for each other, but the bond is stronger when they are soul mates. There has to be a union between man and woman. Mentally as well as a physically. Marriage is the blessing that brings about the union. Moreover this is also the reason that both the sexes are born differently and not as one.
Torah, the Jewish religious book, considers marriage to be a blessing. Something that brings about a perfect union between man and woman. There is a designated Zivug or soul mate for every individual. An individual is destined to have somebody by his side at the appointed time. There has always been a deep seated memory in an individual to see a union between man and woman. Marriage is the yearning to get to that state. Judaism strongly talks about the incompleteness of a man without his wife and a woman without her husband.
Every religion has its own set of rules, regulations and customs. But there are a few exclusive and very interesting customs followed by the Jews. Sarah was mentioning about the Jewish wedding she attended a few days back. Her best friend is a Jewish girl who had invited her. She was at her place for almost a week. Her friend wanted her to be there and also witness all the customs that the Jewish wedding involved. She was very happy to have attended one of them.
Customs held on the wedding day are generally very exciting, but the excitement of a Jewish wedding starts much before. Tenaim and Aufruf are basically the two events held before a Jewish wedding. The former is the ceremony of engagement where a contract is made. This gives the details of the wedding along with the date and time. After preparing the Tenaim, it is read out loud and finally signed. This is followed by a wonderful tradition of the future mother-in-laws breaking a plate. There is a difference going to happen in the relationship. The children are going to have a life of their own where they would be taking care each other. This is what the custom generally signifies. As far as the Aufruf is concerned, it is the custom of inviting the couple to the Torah on the Sabbath. The guests make every use of this event to congratulate the couple for the wedding. In addition to this, some of the communities also believe in throwing candies at the couple. This is to wish them a sweet marriage.
The Jews refer a lot to the incidents from the bible. The bible mentions about Jacob, wanting to get married to Rachel, but accidentally gets married to her sister Leah who was in a veil. The Jewish groom takes no such risk. Thus for him there is the custom of the Bedeken where the groom unveils his bride. The groom identifies his bride before the wedding.
Jewish weddings are famous for the elaborate and very symbolic customs that they follow but it's the chuppah that it is widely known for. No Jewish wedding is complete without this. It is either the chuppah or the canopy. This again is a custom that resembles an incident from the bible. God had once appeared to Abraham in the open sky, showering blessings on him. God promised Abraham (then Abram) "I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted." Genesis 13. The chuppah is a custom based on this. It is held in the open air. It is a decorated piece of cloth, generally in the form of a home, held under the stars. The groom comes over to the chuppah in white robes. The white color symbolizes the purity and cleanliness of the new relation. The bride circles the groom seven times along with her mother and her mother-in-law. This yet again carries the meaning that the bride shall hold responsibilities towards her new home, protecting it from all dangers.
God had taken seven days to create the world. The bride respects the creator by circling her groom, seven times.
As all other religions, the Jews also follow the custom of exchanging rings. The groom, swearing by the law of Moses and Israel, places a plain ring on the index finger of the groom. It is not just a mere custom, but a pledge on the part of the groom to take the responsibility of his bride.
Sarah was really happy to inform about the various customs that she witnessed but it was the custom of the breaking of the glass that she could not stop talking about. It was not just the fun of watching it, but the various meanings that it carried. The custom involved the breaking of a glass by the bride. She generally did this to prove that marriage was a very delicate relation and it should be handled with care. Some also refer this custom when the temple was broken in Jerusalem. No matter how happy we are, the sad times are not to be forgotten.
Jewish wedding may be elaborate, but nothing could beat the fun of witnessing it. Every custom of this wedding comes along with a meaning. It starts meaningfully and so is its ending. The wedding wraps up with the bride and the groom locking themselves in a room. This is an act to be observed by witness from both sides of the family. This is an integral part of the Jewish custom. Herein begins the new life of the couple.
With times getting tough and work piling up, we are generally left with very little time for anything else. In fact religion and relatives are the most neglected. It's a wedding ceremony that brings every one together, and if it is something like a Jewish wedding, we generally prefer to leave our hectic schedules and go to the wedding. It may be elaborate, but teaches to value life and relations in a deep symbolic way.
Sean Carter writes on Jewish Wedding,Love, family, relationships, women issues, religion, love and friendship. He also writes on holidays and celebrations around the world. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry. He writes for 123greetings.com
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