An Israeli Wedding

I spent last Shabbat at my apartment here in Jerusalem and will be doing the same this weekend.

A friend of mine here in Israel got married this week. The service and celebration were held at a winery in “the territories” just northwest of Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, while I had absolutely no idea where we were going based on the name, when we got there I know exactly where we were. On the way out to the settlement that I usually go to there is a fork in the road just before arriving. The settlement is to the left and the winery we went to for the wedding is to the right. I was less than 2 kilometers (as the crow flies) from my friends’ homes!

I am told that this was a typical Israeli wedding, and will describe the sequence of events for you. For those of you familiar with an Orthodox Jewish wedding, this will not sound very different.

Before sunset everyone in attendance went to the Beit T’fellah (literally: house of prayer) where the afternoon service is held. This is then followed by the evening prayers after sundown. Once this was done, everyone went to a reception where beverages and appetizers were served. The reception lasted for about an hour (in order to allow time for those not wishing to attend services to arrive and also to allow time for the bride, groom, Rabbi and witnesses to gather for the formal signing of the Katuba (marriage contract). This was followed by the wedding ceremony, which was held outside.

Here in Israel the actual ceremony is quite short. There was a processional where the wedding party is escorted to the Chupa (literally a canopy: A Jewish wedding takes place under a canopy that is open on all sides).

After the groom arrived at the chupa the Rabbi recites a blessing. This is followed by the bride's enterance. As she approaches, the groom takes one or two steps towards her in greeting. When she reaches the groom the bride circles him seven times prior to taking her place at his right side.

(When they arrive at the chuppah, the bride [and family] circle the groom seven times. One of the many explanations for these seven circuits is that they represent a seven-fold bond which marriage will establish between the bride and groom and their families. This act also recalls the seven times that the Tefillin straps are wrapped around a man's arm. Just as a man binds himself in love to G-d, so is his bond in love to his bride. The number seven represents the completion of the seven day process in which earth was created. During these seven days, the earth revolved on its axis seven times. Since marriage reenacts the creative process, the Kallah's encirclement symbolizes the repetition of these seven earthly rotations.

Also, on the day of his wedding, the groom is compared to a king. Just as the king is encircled by his legion, the groom is to be encircled by his bridal entourage. When the bride has finished encircling the groom, she stands at his right, as the Psalmist states, "at the right hand does the queen stand.")

Once the wedding party is under the Chupa the Katuba is publically ready. (Note that since the groom’s family are from New Zealand there was some amount of translation being done to English. The Rabbi threw in a few comments (jokes, actually) during this reading.

Following the reading there are a series of blessing recited. These are known as Sheva Brachos (literally: seven blessings). These blessings specifically praise Hashem and seek blessing for the new couple. These blessings are given under the Chupa by the Rabbi and/or other people.

The seventh blessing is customarily reserved for a Cantor. I was given the honor of presenting this blessing under the Chupa. This was my first formal function where it was planned that I would participate. I cannot express my gratitude to the bride and groom for allowing me to share their simcha (literally: gladness, but has the implication of a festive occasion) in such a personal and intimate way.

Once the blessings were completed the service was over and everyone went into the winery for dinner. I was somewhat surprised that the seating was mixed instead of separate for men and women. After dinner there was a band and dancing. This WAS separate for men and women and was quite enthusiastic. All-in-all it was a wonderful affair.