The Ketubah, or marriage contract, must be signed before the wedding can begin. The rabbi explains the terms of the Ketubah to the groom. Via a symbolic act of holding the corner of a handkerchief which the rabbi extends to him, the groom agrees to be bound by the terms of the Ketubah. Then the witnesses sign this marriage contract.

The Ketubah specifies the mutual obligations of the bride and groom. At one time, this marriage contract gave the bride important legal protection.

Today, the purpose of the Ketubah is to remind the couple of their moral responsibilities to each other. "Be my wife in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel. I wil

l work for you; I will honor, support and maintain you, as it becomes Jewish husbands who work for their

wives, honoring and supporting them faithfully...."

Before the wedding ceremony itself begins, some grooms will veil the bride in a ceremony called Badeken.

This is always an exciting part of the wedding because it is traditional for the bride and groom not to have seen each other for 3-7 days prior to the wedding. After the groom covers the bride's face with the veil, she will continue to stay veiled until the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot) are recited under the Chuppah.

Badeken is a Yiddish word meaning "to cover over." It is related to the words deken which means "to cover", deknomen which means "alias" (literally cover name), and dektikhl which means "veil."

During the Badeken, first the groom checks his bride to make sure he will marry the right woman. This tradition is based on the Biblical story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Jacob worked for Lavon for seven years to earn the right to marry Lavon's daughter Rachel. When it was time for the wedding, Lavon veiled his other daughter Leah and tricked Jacob into marrying the wrong daughter. Jacob had to work another seven years before Lavon would agree to give him his other daughter Rachel.

Then the groom pulls the veil over the brides face. And then he is escorted to the Chuppah.

The bride and groom are escorted to the Chuppah. On their wedding day, the bride and groom are viewed as equal in status to a queen and king. As such, they should be escorted and not walk alone. As they are escorted to the Chuppah, joyful music and singing also accompany them.

Sometimes candles are carried by the escorts. The Hebrew word for candle is Ner. The word Ner has a numerological value of 250 (the letter nun is 50, the letter raysh is 200). A man has 248 organs, and a woman has 252 organs. Two candles (2x250) has a value of 500, and when you combine a man and a woman you have 500 organs. The candles, then, symbolize the oneness which will come about as the couple is united under the Chuppah.

There is a tradition followed by some whereby the bride walks around the groom under the Chuppah before the rabbi begins the wedding ceremony. This tradition has ties to Jeremiah 31:21, where the prophet says that a woman encompasses and protects a man.

Some brides will circle three times. This tradition comes from Hosea 2:21-22 where God says to the Jewish people: "I betroth you to myself forever; I betroth you to myself in righteousness and in justice, in love and in mercy; I betroth you to myself in faithfulness..."

Other brides circle seven times. As Joshua circled the wall of Jericho seven times, and then the walls fell down. So, too, after the bride walks around the groom seven times, the walls between them will fall and their souls will be united.

While the bride circles, the groom prays. It is believed that as the groom stands under the chuppah on his wedding day, he is especially close to God. Often the groom will pray for friends of his who are not yet married or for someone who is sick. Some people give the groom notes and ask the groom to say a special prayer.

After the circling has been completed, the service begins with two blessings over wine. Both the bride and groom drink from the glass of wine.

The use of a wedding ring in the Jewish wedding ceremony started in the 7th century.

The wedding ring symbolizes many things. First, it is a symbol of attachment and fidelity. The ring also symbolizes money. Jewish tradition says that the groom must buy the ring with own money. The ring also symbolizes a chain that unites generations. The hope is that the couple will start a family and thereby add another link to the chain of Jewish history.

The groom puts the ring on the forefinger of the bride's right hand. The ring is put on the forefinger because this is the finger which is easiest for the witnesses to see. The ring is put on the right hand because the right hand is a symbol of strength.

As the groom places the ring on the bride's finger, he says "Be sanctified (mekudeshet) to me with this ring in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel."

The exchange of the wedding ring is the heart of the wedding ceremony, the point at which the couple is considered to be married.

Next the marriage contract, the Ketubah, is read. The Ketubah is written in Aramaic, but the rabbi must translate it when he reads it to make sure the bride and groom understand the terms of the marriage contract. After the reading, the groom hands the marriage contract to the bride

Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot) are recited over a second glass of wine. The last part of the seven benedictions asks God to comfort Zion, cause happiness for the young couple, and restore Judea and Jerusalem. Here we see that the marriage ceremony combines individual and communal hopes.

Both the bride and groom drink from this second glass of wine..

The wedding ceremony ends when the grooms steps on and breaks a glass. The custom of breaking a glass under the Chuppah is derived from the Talmud. It is written that a rabbi broke a vase during a wedding feast in order to warn those present against excessive joy. Even during times of great joy, we should remember the tragic destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the ceremony ends, the bride and groom retire to a private room, called Heder Yichud, to symbolically "consummate" the marriage. In the room, the couple breaks their fast and takes a few moments to relax together before going to greet all the wedding guests at the party.

Music and Dance

Let the party begin! In more orthodox Jewish weddings, men and women dance separately. There are traditional songs and dances, such as the Hora. It is also traditional to raise the bride and groom on chairs during the dancing.

It is a mitzvah to make the bride and groom happy on their wedding day. Therefore, guests tend to participate and work hard to add joy to the celebration.

Feasting

After so much dancing, it is time to eat. A prayer is recited over the Challah Bread, and then the meal begins.

Toasting

During the meal, often the rabbi speaks and toasts are made. Then everyone says Grace After Meals (Birkat Hamazon) together, and they include the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot).

The whole week following the wedding, friends and family organize festive meals for the new couple. The special Grace After Meals which includes the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot) is said during this week of festivities.

Licensed by Lisa Katz