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Essay on Jewish Marriage
The Jewish wedding ceremony is an intricate array of rituals, customs, and liturgical elements. Because one of the central insights of biblical and rabbinic Judaism was that sanctity in human life could be best achieved by legislating behavior in those areas of human life with potential for sanctification, the traditional elements of the marriage ceremony are legally mandated by Jewish law. The rabbis even remarked that "anyone who is not knowledgeable about the legal details of divorce and marriage should not become involved with them.
The elaborate series of marriage customs begins before the wedding day itself. In most traditional communities and in some more liberal settings as well, it is customary for the groom to be called to the Torah at a synagogue service before the wedding, usually, but not always, on the Saturday morning before his wedding. In Conservative and Reform communities in which this practice is observed, the bride may also be called to the Torah. Typically, the rabbi of the congregation will also recite a blessing in honor of the couple about to be married. This ceremony is known by its Yiddish name, aufruf, meaning "to be called up." (Irving Greenberg, 1988)
Although the wedding day ultimately culminates with tremendous joy and celebration, it begins on a rather solemn note, in that a wedding represents not only a physical and emotional union between two people but also an attempt on their part to mirror the relationship between God and humanity. Indeed, the wedding day shares many qualities with the most sacred day of the year, Yom Kippur. Many reasons for these parallels have been suggested, but the most cogent one is that both days begin a new epoch in a person's life, and every Jew naturally seeks to enter these new periods in a state of cleansed spirit and conscience.....
