Some things in this life are very painful, it is our calling to receive both the painful experiences, and the pleasurable experiences with a sense of respect, and honor, not only for the present, but also for the past. Many have made great and sometimes terrible sacrifices so that our lives could be more comfortable and blessed. But not everyone is living in comfort. Many still live in great need, lack, want, and abuse. Our lives should not neglect to remember them, even in our times of JOY>>>
To forget our duty to the poor, the blind, the naked, the wretched, is a sign we have become disconnected from reality and self-absorbed in our own little bubble.
The Jewish Wedding Ceremony, Ketubah, and crushing the crystal glass. What does it mean?
The Symbolism: having a broken heart, or a broken relationship with God, or with others, the crushing of the Temple of God.
Three Articles below.
Breaking the Glass at a Jewish Wedding – My Jewish Learning
Why the Jewish wedding ceremony ends with a famous bang.
By Anita Diamant
The Jewish wedding ceremony ends with a famous bang. Stomping on a glass is one of the best-known features of Jewish weddings. Traditionally, the groom did the deed; today the couple often share the honor/pleasure, smashing one or two napkin-wrapped glasses.
Few Jewish symbols have a single explanation, and this one is downright kaleidoscopic. The custom dates back to the writing of the :
Mar bar Rabina made a marriage feast for his son. He observed that the rabbis present were very gay. So he seized an expensive goblet worth 400 zuzim and broke it before them. Thus he made them sober. (Berakhot 5:2 )
In other words, where there is rejoicing, there should be trembling.
By the Middle Ages, synagogue facades in Germany were inlaid with a special stone for the express purpose of smashing a glass at the end of weddings. However, its interpretation changed somewhat by the 14th century, when, according to Maurice Lamm’s The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage, it was viewed as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Either way, the lesson is that even at the height of personal joy, we recall the pain and losses suffered by the Jewish people and remember a world in need of healing.
The fragility of glass suggests the frailty of human relationships. Since even the strongest love is subject to disintegration, the glass is broken as a kind of incantation: “As this glass shatters, so may our marriage never break.”
Loud noises are a time-honored method for frightening and appeasing demons that are attracted to beautiful and fortunate people, such as the happy couple beneath the huppah (also commonly spelled ).
Marriage is a covenant, which in Judaism is made by breaking or cutting something. At Sinai, tablets were broken; at a wedding, broken glass “cuts” the covenant.
Breaking the glass also has sexual connotations, as it prefigures the release of sexual union, which is not only permitted to married couples but also required of them. For centuries breaking the glass implicitly symbolized breaking the hymen, which is why it was so important that the groom succeed.
The crash of glass ends the hush of mythic time under the huppah, and the world rushes in. Everyone exhales, claps and shouts, “Mazel tov!” The celebration begins.
You can break any kind of glass: old, new, borrowed, or blue. Whatever you choose, it should be well wrapped to prevent injury. A heavy cloth napkin is standard, but you can buy a satin pouch or a velvet bag. (Some artisans fashion mementoes out of the shards.) While a lightbulb wrapped in a linen napkin might make a louder pop, it seems like a poor stand-in for such a rich and ancient symbol.
Excerpted with permission from The Jewish Wedding Now
The actual meaning behind the breaking of the Jewish wedding glass
This is one of the most popular scenes from the traditional Jewish wedding that you can see on many mainstream movies and TV shows: the groom stomping on a napkin- or foil-covered glass, immediately followed by yells of “mazal tov.” This is the breaking of the Jewish wedding glass that signifies the end of the Chuppah, and the official beginning of the Jewish couple as husband and wife.
While this may literally seem to be an afterthought, this custom speaks much of the Jewish approach to life events, being careful to keep everything into perspective, and binding our times of joy and struggle today with the Jewish experience across the ages.
So what is the actual meaning behind the breaking of the Jewish wedding glass? Here are the top 3:
There are a few symbolic interpretations, all of them valid and wonderful to keep in mind (as if you don’t have enough to think about!) when that big moment finally comes.
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Commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple
This is the most popular explanation for why this remains part of the Jewish Chuppah. For two thousand years the Jewish have been dispersed throughout the four corners of the world, awaiting for that one Home where G-d’s presence was openly revealed, and where Jews could come together three times a year in unity and celebration. We still yearn for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple to this day.
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The breaking of the two halves of the soul, now reunited
This idea is more on the romantic side, and more symbolic as well. There is a concept in Jewish thought that a Jewish couple actually originated as one soul, and those two halves have spent their time on this earth searching for each other, to be reunited under the Chuppah. This is a wonderful concept that brings the bond between a Jewish couple to beautiful detail.
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Drawing together the spectrums of the human experience
While remembering the destruction of the Holy Temple is the favored symbolism for the breaking of the Jewish wedding glass, the first time this ritual was mentioned in Jewish literature actually predates the destruction of the Second Holy Temple.
The Talmud briefly describes the wedding that one of the Sages, Mar Bar Rabina, was hosting in honor of his son. Once he saw that the celebratory mood was becoming too light, he took an expensive goblet and smashed it. Needless to say, this put everyone in a more somber mood immediately. The concept here is that it is important to stay balanced throughout every stage in life. In times of celebration we know that life can take more somber turns as well; in difficult times of loss or mourning, we know that we will and can experience celebration and happiness in time, as well. Not only that, but the Jewish couple breaking the glass at that moment is declaring that they will see each other through the celebration and the difficulty.
Of course, before that epic breaking of the Jewish wedding glass, there is the presentation of the Ketubah, arguably the most important part of the wedding according to Jewish Law, along with the Jewish wedding ring.
Today, Ketubahs are more than just Jewish marriage contracts. They can be fine works of art, particularly those from artists like Danny Azoulay. Using Paper cut Ketubah method and incorporating vibrant colors and gold- and silver-leafing, every Jewish couple can find a design that expresses their sense of style, to be enjoyed for their lifetime together.
Mazal tov!
Jewish Wedding Ceremony for Messianic Jewish Couples
In Judaism , marriage is view as a contractual bond commanded by Elohim in which a man and a woman, and Adonai in the midst of them come together in a relationship. Marriage is actually called kiddushin, which translates as “sanctification” or “dedication.” It indicates that what is happening is not just a social arrangement or contractual agreement, but a spiritual bonding and the fulfillment of a mitzvah (commandment). A Jewish wedding is a ceremony that it is based on Jewish law and traditions. This includes: 1.ketubah (marriage contract), signed by two witnesses, 2. Wedding canopy (chuppah or huppah),3. Ring owned by the groom to be given to the bride and 4.The breaking of a glass.
1.Ketubah: This document is written in a manuscript that is to be framed and displayed at home (see the above image). This document is signed by both spouces before the wedding in the presence of two witnesses. The ketuvah, written in Aramaic, details the husband’s obligations to his wife: food, clothing, dwelling and pleasure. It also creates a lien on all his property to pay her a sum of money and support should he divorce her. It is tradition to read the document during the ceremony in the Chuppah, normally in a translation.
2.Chuppah: It is a canopy where the wedding ceremony takes place and it is a simbol of the couple new home. It is a decorated piece of cloth held aloft, it is usually held outside, under the stars, as a sign of the blessing given by Elohim. The groom is accompanied to the chuppah by his parents, and usually wears a white robe. Also inside the canopy when the bride arrives circles the groom seven times ( signifies completeness Jeremiah 31:22)
3.Bethrothal or presentation of the ring (kiddushin): before the exchange of the rings a kiddush is perform (blessing of the wine an bread), then the groom gives the bride a ring and recites “Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring” and then the bride does the same and recites “I am of my beloved’s and my beloved is mine”. Also the Rabi recites seven blessings (Shava Brachot) and the spouces drink wine. The blessings begin with praising YHVH for His creation in general and for the creation of the human as a “two part creature,” woman and man. It express the hope that the new couple will rejoice together forever as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. .
4.Breaking a glass: At the end of the ceremony the groom breaks a glass, stamping on it with his right foot. All present said “Mazel tov” (congratulations). At the end the couple goes away for 10 to 20 minutes to be together (an intimacy reserved only for a married couple).
In addition there are very important traditions such as:
1-Badeken is the ceremony where the Katán lifts the veil to let see the face of the Kalah, to make sure that he is receiving him the bride that he has chosen, thus avoiding the deception caused to Yaacov by the deceit of Laban, giving Leah instead of Raquel whom he loved.
2-The Katán and the Kalah do not wear jewels under the Jupah to symbolize that they not love material goods.
3-Shevá Brachot: The Seven blessings are recited in the second glass of wine. This connects the spouses with the eternal Elohim. The Brachot (blessings) are recited by the rabbi.
4-It is a mitzvah (commandment) that the guests bring Joy (Shimjá) to the parties the day of the ceremony.
5-It is customary for friends and family to honor the Katán and Kalah with festive meals during the following week.
6-All Jewish weddings include a lot of traditional dances in front of married couples. One of the most famous is the carriage of the groom and bride in chairs over the shoulders of friends and family to the dance floor.
Blessings to all the lucky couples
Rabbi Yosef Ben Marques © 2015
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