Introduction, Opening Prayerand Blessing

Introduction, Opening Prayerand Blessing

Welcome, family and friends. We are gathered here to join ______in marriage and they are so happy that so many of you who mean so much to them are here to share and celebrate their wedding day. It is quite fitting that you all be here, to witness and participate in their wedding, because the ideals, the understanding and the mutual respect that they bring to their marriage have their roots in the love, friendship and guidance you have given them. They are the individuals they are today, in part because of your roles in their lives – you have helped to make them who they are.Your role today is not a passive one; you encouraged not only to rejoice and honor the bride and groom on their wedding day, but also to remain a sustaining community for them.______have been together for some time, yet marriage adds a new dimension, which they approach with enthusiasm and deepening love. Today, they begin a new life together, different from the togetherness they have shared so far, and we open this sacred ceremony with a blessing.

[Hebrew verse]

Blessed be you who have come here in dedication to all that is loving, good and sacred.

[Hebrew verse]

We bless you and welcome you in joy.

[Hebrew verse]

May the Source of life sustain you in life.

May all that is noble and true in the universe,

Inspire your lives together and bring peace to all humankind.

Circling of the Bride and Groom (if desired)

It is a very old Jewish custom for the bride and/or groom to circle the other three or even seven times. Some believe you should circle three times based on a passage from the book of Hosea that repeats the phrase, “I will betroth you to me” three times. Others believe you should circle seven times, symbolizing the seven times the Bible states “When a man takes a wife”. According to Jewish mystics, seven is a very powerful number. Circling seven times was also thought to help the bride (Kallah) and groom (Hatan) enter the seven spheres of each other’s souls.

______have chosen to circle each other ____ times, as a sign of their shared commitment to a life surrounded by each other’s love, on all sides.

Explanation of the Huppah

______stand under a Huppah, the Hebrew term for a simple shelter, which represents the promise of the home they have created together, a home to which, today, they make a permanent and willful commitment. The Huppah does not provide assurance that love or hope or your shared pledges will keep out the inclement elements of life or its many challenges, but its few simple lines are only a sketch on the canvas of your life together from this moment forward. It is a canopy, a structure without walls, to symbolize openness, and the honor of our biblical ancestors, Abraham and Sarah, whose tent was accessible daily from all four sides so that wayfarers and visitors would always know they were welcome with an offer of hospitality and comfort.

Remembrance of Loved Ones Who Have Passed Away

______, the canopy of your Huppah above us symbolizes the importance of what is beyond ourselves and the present, in the hearts of those who have inspired and nurtured us; those who have shared their love for us; those who have come before us, and those who are not here to rejoice with us today. Let us remember… (Recitation of the names provided). May their memories always serve as a blessing, and their praiseworthy deeds and values as a daily inspiration for you.

Scripture Readingsfrom the Hebrew Bible(Tanach) and/or alternate selections

Blessing Over the Wine (first cup) – shared by the Groom and Bride

This cup of winedemonstrates the gratitude ______have for the loving care and teachings of their parents, and the ties of heart and mind and memory that bond brothers and sisters and family across time and distance. This cup of wine is also a reminder of the cup of life that you will now share together, and the sweetness we wish for you both as your life long journey continues.

The blessing over the wine, known as the Kiddush, is a part of all Jewish celebrations, the Sabbath, and holidays. The word Kiddush means sanctification, and by reciting this blessing and those which follow, we consecrate this bride and groom on their wedding day.

Blessed are you eternal God, Creator of the fruit of the vine, symbol of our rejoicing. Amen.

Blessing of the Rings

Bless these rings, O God, that they may be the visible sign of the declarations about to be expressed, that each who gives and each who wears one, may ever be reminded of their promises, evermore living and growing in the spirit of Your endless love. Amen.

Wedding Vows and the Giving of the Rings

These rings in their unbroken wholeness are tokens of your union and of your love. They represent the enduring trust and affection that you bring to one another. May they ever remind you that your lives are to be bound together by devotion and faithfulness.

Groom repeats these words after officiate, while placing the wedding band on the Bride’s right index finger:

[Hebrew] Ha’ray At M’koo’deshet Lee B’ta’ba’at Zo K’dat Moshe V’Yis’rael

I, ____, take you, ____, to be my wife.I promise to be faithful and true to you, in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health.I will love you, honor you, and care for you all the days of my life.

______, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you, and of my promise to honor you, comfort you, and to be faithful to you and the covenant of our marriage, for as long as we both shall live.

Bride repeats these words after officiate, while placing the wedding band on the Groom’s left fourth finger:

[Hebrew] A’nee L’do’dee V’do’dee Lee – “I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me.”

I, ____, take you, ____, to be my husband.I promise to be faithful and true to you, in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you, honor you, and care for you all the days of my life.

The Seven Wedding Blessings (Jewish Liturgy) – Recited over a second cup of wine (if desired), which is then shared by the Groom and Bride.Selections from these blessings may be combined with the “Blessing Over the Wine” if preferred. A contemporary English version of these blessings may also be recited by theofficiate or designated individuals.

Closing Benediction

The final blessing (Hebrew and English verses) for the Bride and Groom is taken from the Torah.

(Text – Numbers 6: 24-26)

Pronouncement of Marriage

Before God and in your presence as witnesses, ______have made their sacred vows, and have sealed their pledges with the rings they have both given and received. And as both of you have joined voluntarily in this ceremony, which binds you together in the sanctity of marriage, according to the tenets of our faith and abiding by the laws of the State of ______, I now affirm and proclaim to all that you are husband and wife.

Breaking of the Glass

Finally, it is a Jewish custom to end the wedding ceremony with the breaking of a glass. Although it may be rooted in the mists of superstition, the breaking of the glass now has many interpretations - one is that even in our moments of greatest joy, we should remember that there is still much pain and suffering in the world, and that we have a responsibility to help relieve the afflictions of humanity whenever possible. Another interpretation is that perhaps the fragility of the glass suggests the imperfections of even our closest human relationships and in a joyous ending to this ceremony, a glass is broken with the implied prayer: “As this glass shatters, so may your marriage remain whole and fulfilling each and every day of your life together.”

Recessional from the Huppah