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 tzedakah (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.
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
Seven wedding blessings adapted for two men
A look at the sociological and demographic implications of intermarriage in the Jewish community along with things a prospective interfaith couple should know about Jewish attitudes, family, rabbinic officiation, the ceremony, negotiating the Jewish community after the wedding, and conversion
A certificate by which a non-Jew joins his/her fate to the Jewish people without formally converting and a marriage contract for a Jew and a ger toshav (resident stranger)
Sue and Ben wrote a “verbose but helpful guide” to their wedding which is both traditional and egalitarian (incorporating both kiddushin and shutafut)
An informative wedding booklet which walks the reader through all the traditional elements of a Jewish wedding ceremony
A wedding booklet describing one couple’s choices for a traditional-egalitarian Jewish wedding
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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