Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit(Yiddish) The anniversary of a death, usually marked by the lighting of a 24-hour yahrzeit candle and the recitation of Kaddish, the memorial prayer. For U.S. Jews, the unveiling of the headstone usually takes place on or around the first yahrzeit. Wall. Learn More ->
Although you might not find “something blue” on Ritualwell, you will find much that is “borrowed,” “old,” and “new.” Jewish tradition is rich in wedding customs, and we have attempted to bring you some samples from this delightful smorgasbord. You will find pre-wedding customs such as ten’aim (engagement), during which it is customary for the mothers of the couple to break a plate, the bedecken (the veiling of the bride and modern alternatives), and the tischen (literally, “tables,” where grooms and/or brides receive blessings and enjoy other rituals immediately prior to the wedding ceremony). You will also find several complete wedding ceremonies along with a breakdown of the constituent parts and alternatives for them, various ketubot (wedding contracts), ideas for tzedakahCharity. In Hebrew, the word tzedakah derives from the word for justice. Tzedakah is not seen as emanating from the kindness of one’s heart but, rather, as a communal obligation. (charity), and much more. We also explore weddings and ceremonies not envisioned by the rabbis of old—interfaith marriages and weddings and commitment ceremonies between partners of the same sex.
Three innovative and creative wedding practices, including a two-act play as wedding ceremony
This article articulates principles of Jewish ritual as the author uses them to create a same-sex Jewish wedding
An alternative to the ketubah which explicitly rejects the language of kinyan (acquisition) in favor of the mutual language of covenant
A couple’s first-person account of the process of creating their wedding ceremony
A blessing to be read to two women under their huppah
Kathy, Joyce, and their rabbi found innovative ways to rework the traditional wedding ceremony to suit their needs as two women
The text of the sheva brakhot in Hebrew and translation, an explantion, feminist considerations, two alternative same-sex texts, and an additional prayer for heterosexual couples to add for same-sex partners whose love is not yet sanctified and recognized in the same way
This beautiful Covenant of Love ceremony begins with havdalah and is filled with personal expressions of love and well-chosen readings. This ceremony is both a good example of how a lesbian couple reckoned with tradition and also how to make a ceremony extremely personal.
A new legal formulation for kinyan as acceptance, rather than purchase
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
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