Jewish Wedding
Interfaith Wedding
Rabbi David Degani & Cantor Lee Degani
Bringing spiritual and musical harmony to your wedding ceremony while combining various traditions of the Bride and Groom
FL
ph: 561-488-8079
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Wine Blessing
Bread Sharing
& Water Ritual
The Jewish ritual of blessing the wine is called the “Kiddush”. It is a major Jewish custom which sanctifies all Jewish holidays and religious celebrations.
In the case of a Jewish wedding, the Kiddush symbolizes more then just the blessing over the wine, which makes any ceremony sacred. It is also the act of sharing of the wine by the bride and groom that actually makes the ceremony whole and complete.
Sharing basic food during a ceremony is important in many Christian traditions as well. In addition to the Eucharist in the Catholic tradition, other Christian customs also share a small piece of bread or a small amount of grape juice or even a small sugar cube during the ceremony.
The Jewish wine ritual represents the goodness of the earth. The Christian tradition of sharing of bread represents both the body of Christ as well as the wish that all the couple’s basic needs will be fulfilled. Incorporating these traditions makes for a blend of two beautiful traditions. However, it is important to remember that in the case where bread is used in a marriage ceremony itself, a Jewish blessing over the bread should not be recited since it is not being followed by an immediate meal.
In many cultures bread, salt and water are considered not only essential nourishment but also sacred. God supplied the Israelites with bread in the form of manna. That is why the bread is also a symbol of the "Shechina", the presence of God’s female essence among the people of Israel. In both Jewish and Christian traditions water is considered the strongest spiritual cleansing agent. Therefore, both bread and water are important parts of many ceremonies.
Combining Jewish and Christian water cleansing rituals
According to Jewish weddings customs, both bride and groom go to the “Mikvah” which is a body of water that has a source of running water and perform a spiritual cleansing of their souls by dipping in the water three times and saying a certain blessing. This is done to allow them to enter into the marriage with no spiritual “baggage”. The dipping in the morning of the wedding day actually begins the cleansing process.
Following the “Mikvah” both bride and groom fast until after their wedding ceremony. They are then given a piece of bread to symbolize that they are now entering into the relationship with a clean slate. In some Christian communities Holy Water is sprinkled on the Bride and Groom immediately after the ceremony to symbolize the couple’s pure and honest relationship.
An interesting hybrid of both customs can be performed at the end of the ceremony. A bowl of water, a small pitcher and a small white towel is placed in front of the bride and groom. Each in turn fills the small pitcher with water and pours the water gently on the hands of their partner. This act symbolizes that the couple is entering the marriage relationship with a clean slate. Saying the Jewish blessing for washing the hands is permissible as long as it is immediately followed by the wedding meal and as long as bread is being eaten as part of the meal.
Reading of sacred text
In both the Jewish and Christian traditional weddings the reading of Biblical text is common. The recitation of biblical text in an interfaith wedding is a wonderful way to remind all of us of our commonality.
FL
ph: 561-488-8079
dnlrabbi
