individual and communit - marriage Flashcards
INDIVIDUAL:
- Chuppah: the husband and wife individually strengthen their relationship with God
- Circling the Groom: foreshadows role in continuing of God’s kingdom through procreation
- Ring: provides couple with a way to experience holiness, as it is seen as a sacred union
- The rite of marriage elevates the mundane (the ordinary) to the supernatural as a means of contact with God, who is present at the ceremony.
- Marriage is regarded as a way to holiness, it is God’s design that there are male and female and that a man should cherish a woman in an intimate relationship. It is a process of both physical and spiritual transformation.
INDIVIDUAL:• New Identity
Because marriage is a divinely sanctioned institution,
a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24
In this relationship, the individual is set apart to live with another. He or she takes mutual responsibility for the other’s physical and emotional well-being. The individual enters a holy state - a three-way relationship with another person and with God. He or she strives to attain and live out important values, such as honesty, love, modesty, intimacy and affection.
Making a covenant with another human being is part of fulfilling our covenant with God.
INDIVIDUAL:• • Personal Yom Kippur
The Jewish individual experiences a personal Yom Kippur on his or her wedding day. On this day, all previous sins are forgiven. The kallah and chassan begin a fresh and new future together, growing in relationship with God.
INDIVIDUAL:• • Roles and Responsibilities
A Jewish Woman Lights the Shabbat Candles
Once married, men and women have clear, distinguishing, but complementary roles. Jewish religious life revolves around the home with the woman having responsibility for the household.
In Orthodox homes, the woman is expected to dedicate herself to her family. She is required to know the rules of kashrut in order to keep a kosher household. Each Friday, she prepares meals for the Sabbath and in the evening, she welcomes the Sabbath with special prayers and lights the two Shabbat candles.
‘… a wife shall honour her husband exceedingly and shall accept his authority and abide by his wishes in all her activities …’ Maim. Yad, Ishut 15:20
A married woman is required by Jewish Law to cover her hair in public. Non-Orthodox Jewish women are not required to do this.
In most Jewish communities of Eastern European origin, a married man wears a tallit. This is often a wedding gift from his kallah. A married man continues his duty to attend Sabbath prayers at the synagogue. In addition, he has the role of supporting his wife and providing for and protecting his family.
‘… a man shall honour his wife more than his own self and shall love her as he loves himself and shall constantly seek to benefit her according to his means; that he shall not unduly impose his authority on her and shall speak gently with her; that he shall be neither sad nor irritable …’ Maim. Yad, Ishut 15:19-20
COMMUNITY:
- Breaking of the glass: for the guests, marriage is also a sign of their commitment to support them and give assistance
- Sheva Berachot: SB shows greater community involvement in the ceremony of joy, giving broader community an opportunity to participate in their tradition and strengthen ties
It is significant to the community because:
- the home is the basic unit of the Jewish community
- new voices are added to the Jewish community
- it is a commitment to the Jewish community and its preservation
- it provides a sense of identity and community
- it provides community experience of the Tradition through ritual.
COMMUNITY:• Commitment to the Jewish Community and its Preservation
Jewish marriage is a spiritual union. It connects the couple more closely to the Covenant and reflects the relationship between God and the Jewish people. Marriage is not a private arrangement, but a commitment to the Jewish community and its preservation as the Chosen People of the Covenant.
COMMUNITY:• Sense of Identity and Community
The history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God are very important to the community’s sense of identity. Each Jewish marriage is an important event for the Jewish community because it connects the community to its history. Marriage rituals and Jewish values lived out within the family, create links between past, present and future generations.
COMMUNITY:• Experience of the Tradition through Ritual
Marriage is a time of great joy and celebration for the Jewish community. It renews and continues an experience of the Tradition, its beliefs and practices. Following are examples of how the rituals of the wedding ceremony demonstrate the significance of marriage for the community.
