Wedding Traditions
The contemporary Jewish wedding has many customs with numerous explanations. Since there is no such thing as a “single Jewish tradition,” some of these customs might also be part of other wedding ceremonies. I love celebrating the diversity that is the Jewish people.
Ketubah
The Ketubah is the wedding contract. Traditionally, the contract explains the responsibilities of a groom to his bride: room, board, and intimacy. Some ketubot (plural) also mentioned the value of the bride should there be a divorce. Nowadays, couples can compose their own text, and commission a beautiful art piece that becomes a visual symbol of their love. While the traditional ketubah is written in Aramaic, modern ketubot can have any language. As a contract, it must have two witnesses, traditionally two people with no blood relation to the couple. The ketubah is signed before the ceremony in a special gathering called a tisch which is Yiddish for table.
Chuppah
The Chuppah is the wedding canopy and the symbol of the couple’s first home together. The chuppah is open on all sides, hearkening to Abraham in the desert who did the same to show he was hospitable to all. Under this canopy, the officiant performs the ceremony. A chuppah can be made from any material, but a special tradition is to use an heirloom tallit, or prayer shawl.
Breaking the Glass
The last part of the ceremony is the breaking of the glass. Traditionally, the groom steps on a glass to remind the assembly of the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE) and the Second Temple (70 CE). This comes from the idea of tempering our joy. A contemporary interpretation is that the broken glass represents the end of one life, before the marriage, and the beginning of a new life, after the marriage. After the glass is broken, the assembly shouts, “mazel tov,” which is Hebrew for congratulations. In some egalitarian ceremonies, either part of the couple in any gender can step on the glass, or even both can!