Rejoice And Be Glad

Rejoice and be glad
And the Lord said to Adam and Eve:
"Be fruitful and multiply..."

The Jewish belief of marriage and children being a positive duty to God is based on these very words.

The Jewish wedding caremony has two essential components which over a period of time have come together as a single rite. The first is the erusin or kiddushin-a pre marriage commitment that blinds the couple in wedlock but does not allow them to live together as man and wife. However it needs a divorce to dissolve this commitment. The second important caremony is the chupah or 'canopy' which symbolizes the entry of the bride into the grooms house and includes the process of marriage. In present times, the erusin takes place just prior to the chupah caremony. On the Sabbath before the wedding, the groom goes to the synagogue and reads a section from the holy books. He is then greeted with cries of 'mazaltov' or good luck. Some communities do not allow the groom to go out alone from this time on.

On the wedding day the bride and groom are expected to fast from dawn till the completion of caremonies. The jews see marriage as a new stage in life. The fast thus allows the couple to repent the past and seek forgiveness. Prior to the wedding caremony the kettubah is prepared and signed by two witnesses. This is not contract, as many believe,that merely stipulates the maintanances to be paid by the husband should he divorce his wife, it also outlines the responsibilities of a husband within a marriage. A couple is not allowed to live a man and wife unless they possess a kettubah and if it is lost, a new document must be drawn up.,

The groom then goes to his bride to be waiting in a room and covers her face with a veil before he is led away to the wedding canopy by his father and father in law

There the groom stands facing Jerusalem while the rabbi and cantor stand opposite him. Some Jews use an embroidered cloth stretched over four wooden poles under the open sky. Other communities use a prayer shawl held aloft by four men as the wedding canopy and hold the wedding indoors. The bride is brought to the canopy by her mother and mother-in-law who hold lighted candles. Her entrance is accompanied by music and singing, and many guests walk with her to the canopy. In some customs, the bride walks around the groom seven times or three times before taking her place at his side. A cup of wine is poured out and the rabbichants a blessing over it, followed by a benediction.

After the couple has tasted the wine, the groom places a plain gold wedding ring on the forefinger of the bride. At this time, he says,"Behold, you are sanctified to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel." The caremony of the ring is believed to be a later development and is not known in the Talmud.

To ensure the validity of the marriage, the groom is asked whether the ring is indeed his. Two witnesses are sometimes asked to satisfy themselves about its worth.

Next the Kettubah is read aloud and handed over to the bride.

After this the wedding caremony proper begins.

The rabbi takes another cup of wine and chants over it the seven marriages blessings, ending with the words:

"Speedily O Lord our God, many thereby heard in the cities of Judah and the open places of Jerusalem the sound of rejoicing and of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant sound of bridegrooms from their wedding canopies and of youth from their feast of song. Blessed are you, O Lord, who gladdens the bridegroom with the bride."

The couple once again drinks from the cup of wine and the groom then breaks a glass with his foot to cries of good luck from the guests. The glass breaking indicates a sense of mourning even at a time of happiness, for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Now the couple is led away to a room and are allowed to be alone together. The couple often takes the opportunity to break the fast.

This is followed by a festive meal and dancing. During orthodox weddings, the male guests dance around the bride and groom.. Lighthearted songs are sung and speeches are made.

In the wedding of the jews of Malabar region,the sister of the groom brings a gift of cloth to the bride before the wedding. This is known as the kundalee acharan. This cloth will be worn by the bride on the wedding day.

Many Indian groups of Jews have also adopted the Indian custom of the thali. Made of seven threads with a small gold ornament believed to bring luck, the bride receives it from the sister of the groom. Like all Indian weddings-Jewish wedding too are a mixture of religious, cultural and family tradition.

And the Lord said to Noah

"And you, be ye fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.