Not all Rabbis will officiate and interfaith wedding but some will. A Rabbi is the spiritual leader of a community and it is the normal course of events, that he will officiate at Jewish weddings only which is permissible by the Torah or as it is commonly called, the Bible. In the Torah it is written by law that a man may only marry someone who is Jewish.
This is because of numerous reasons as it is written in the Written and Oral laws of the bible known in Hebrew as the Torah. So it is good to do some homework if not familiar with the ins and outs of this ceremony in accordance with Jewish Law. One way to circumvent these restrictions is to appoint a judge to do the wedding and ask if some of the traditions can be thrown into it.
It is understandable why some Rabbis or Teachers will not want to help out on the important day and bless both the bride and groom. From the Torah it is derived that when a groom addresses the bride he must say when producing the ring that she is consecrated to him according to the laws of Moses and of Israel. This is the traditional statement that all grooms say on their wedding day.
This is in accordance with Jewish Law and must be said by the groom. Research can be done if it is not known as to what the traditions are in accordance with the Law. Another custom is for the groom to stamp on and break a glass at which all the attendees shout Mazal Tov or good luck as it is translated from the Hebrew.
As said, some traditions can be left out or included as preferred. For instance, the Seven Benedictions or Sheva Brachot as they are called in Hebrew, are said at the service and have been said since Biblical times. Another tradition is breaking of the glass. This is stepped on by the groom in memory of the Temples that were destroyed through the history of the Jews.
One of the reasons that interfaith ceremonies are in need today is because of the Internet. There are many dating sites for any religious denomination to get involved in and this is the number one reason that couples find themselves stuck with the problem of interfaith marriages. Years ago, this would not have been a problem in communities that follow the Jewish Religion.
Today it is not difficult to have a mixed marriage as well as the ceremony itself. Many sites on the Internet address these problems and have useful solutions if new to this world. All in all it is an exciting day and many find that throwing in traditions and customs adds to the celebration rather than detracting from it.
About the Author:
No comments:
Post a Comment