Hsc marriage-judaism-2010 updated

MARRIAGE

HSC RELIGIOUS TRADITION
DEPTH STUDY:
JUDAISM

Monday, 28 June 2010

Students learn about :
SIGNIFICANT PRACTICES IN THE
LIFE OF ADHERENTS

ONE significant practice within JUDAISM drawn from:
Death and Mourning
Marriage
Synagogue Services


Students learn to:
 Describe ONE significant practice within Judaism
drawn from - death and mourning; marriage; and
synagogue services.
 Demonstrate how this practice expresses the beliefs of
Judaism
 Analyse the significance of this practice for both the
individual and the Jewish community.


RELIGIOUS RITES IN JUDAISM:
Rites of passage are important elements of religious identity
within the Jewish tradition.

They are celebrations of, and memorials
to, the covenants by which Jews
understand their relationship with God as
expressed in the Torah.

For community worship, the synagogue is
the focus, where the central place of the
Torah is evident and the rituals cement the
individuals place within the community.


Religious rites and their effect
on the everyday lives of
believers :

Provide continuity within the tradition – because
religious rites are usually based on foundational
events/stories.
Provide opportunity for transformation of the
individual.
eg. rites of passage =transformed status
eg. rites of public worship = transformed individually
to live closer to the ideal as a result of communion.

RITES OF PASSAGE
A rite of passage is an important and often
complex ritual that allows an individual or
individuals to be transformed from one stage to
another ie. from an old status to a new status.

Rites of passage affect this change of status as
well as proclaiming it to the community. Thus
there is a strong community element in rites of
passage – it confirms the beliefs of the group,
encourages group cohesion, and teaches moral
lessons.


Results of religious rites of
passage in Judaism

Spiritual growth
A deeper relationship with God
A new, often higher status in the
religious community
Additional rights and responsibilities
A reminder of the history of Israel


Jewish Marriage as a rite of passage
The couple are required to be over the age of 18 years.
Jewish weddings can take place on any day except the
The time
Shabbat and festivals. Most Jewish weddings take place on a
Sunday, usually in the afternoon.
The wedding ceremony may takes place in the synagogue or
The place
outside. It always takes place under a chuppah or canopy.
The rite of marriage is a public ceremony- the couple are
required to make their vows in public. Also present are 2
The witnesses, families and friends and a rabbi usually officiates,
participants though it can be any observant Jew – marriage under Jewish
law is a contractual agreement between a man and a woman.
A minyan is required to be present for the blessing.

In Judaism marriage is seen as the ideal human state.
Marriage is rated very highly, it is seen as the way to
emotional and spiritual fulfillment.
Marriage is the basic social institution in Judaism.
The charter
Marriage provides physical fulfillment in the form of sexual
expression.
Marriage is seen as a personal relationship.
Marriage is a holy covenant- bound by contract.


DESCRIBE… Provide characteristics
and features

Describe ONE significant practice
within Judaism drawn from - death
and mourning; marriage; and
synagogue services.


A Jewish Wedding
A Basic Overview
of the Jewish
Marriage Service.


Before the marriage, the bride and groom sign the
Ketubah to show that they are both willing to enter
into the marriage.


It sets out the promises that the couple make to
each other for a long and happy marriage. They
sign it in front of the rabbi and witnesses, who also
sign the Ketubah.


Jewish weddings usually take place on a Sunday.
They are not allowed to be held on a Saturday
because of the Shabbat.


The marriage ceremony takes place under a
canopy, the Chuppah. It is symbolic of the home
that the couple will establish together. It has a roof
but no walls to show that family and friends will
always be welcome


The groom arrives escorted by his
parents.


The bridesmaids and groomsmen arrive. They will
stand with the best man at the front on either side
of the Chuppah.


The bride walks down the path with her
mother and father on either side.


Her parents hand her over to the groom.
Both sets of parents then stand
on either side of the couple while the ceremony
takes place.


The wedding begins with a reading from the
scriptures. Then the groom and bride exchange rings
which are a symbol of marriage and the hope for an
unbroken union. At the end of the ceremony, the
groom breaks a glass.


The ceremony is over. The couple are now husband
and wife. The congregation call out in Heberw,
“Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov!”
which means ‘good luck and congratulations”.


At the reception after the ceremony,
everyone holds hands and dances
the Hora, the circle of life.


At the end of the dance, the bride and
groom are lifted onto chairs and paraded
around the room.


The Detailed Version


The bride visits the mikveh- immersion pool (Orthodox)
On the shabbat before the wedding, the groom is called to
read the Torah.
The couple may fast before the ceremony (Orthodox)
Lifting of the veil.
Marriage contract – ketubah
Wedding takes place under the Chuppah.
The Bride is escorted by either her parents or both mothers
Escorts carry candles
set Bride circles groom seven times
form Initial blessing are recited – over wine as both partners
drink from a cup
The giving of the ring – where life long commitment is
implied by the words spoken
Marriage closes with blessings recited over a cup of wine.
Recitation of the seven blessings.
The breaking of a wine glass
Yichud and fast is broken.


The
chuppah symbolises the marital
home into which the groom now brings
his bride. It is used to make present to
the believers the centrality of the home,
and the role of the wife as homemaker,
The and in bringing up and teaching the
Symbols children..
The ketubah reinforces the belief that
marriage is a holy covenant.
The smashing of the wine glass
further links the couple to the history of
Israel.


Beliefs as outlined in Marriage

Once married, the wife has responsibility for the
home in order to free her husband to study the
Torah. The wife is required to keep a kosher home
and to bring up and teach the children. Her
The role
relations responsibility is to ensure that all that goes on in the
home is expressive of Judaism. The role of the
husband is to provide for and protect the family.
Both roles are seen as equally important, and
marriage is viewed as an equal partnership.

Prior to marriage this couple were single and from 2
separate families. Marriage unites these two people
together in love, forming a new family unit in which
The husband and wife are responsible for one another
transformation and for their children. Together the couple are now
responsible for continuing the Jewish Nation by
starting a family, keeping the mitzvah and bringing
up children in the Jewish tradition.


 Demonstrate how this practice
expresses the beliefs of Judaism

DEMONSTRATE…
Show by example


How the Jewish Rite of Marriage makes present the central beliefs
o

Provide a basis for the ethical teachings about
marriage
Various rituals are derived from the Hebrew
scriptures and these assist the practising Jew in
maintaining a knowledge of certain parts of the
Sacred
Texts Torah and other parts of the Hebrew Bible.
 Marriage is seen as a personal, contractual
relationship. The Talmud specifies the role played
by the ketubah in the marriage rite, reinforcing the
belief that marriage is a holy covenant, a contractual
relationship.


Analyse the significance of
this practice for both the
individual and the Jewish
community.

ANALYSE…
Identify components and
the relationship between
them; draw out and relate
implications.


The significance of
Marriage
For Judaism, marriage serves three interrelated
purposes.
1. The propagation of the human species, as
commanded in Genesis 1:28, "Be fruitful and
multiply".
According to talmudic law, this obligation is
deemed to have been fulfilled when a man has
begotten at least one son and one daughter,
just as God created male and female in the
Garden of Eden.
http://www.liberaljudaism.org/lj_wherewestand_marriage.htm


The significance of
Marriage
2. Marriage affords loving
companionship. Again in the words of
the Book of Genesis, "It is not good that
man should be alone.... Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and
shall cleave to his wife, and they become
one flesh" (Genesis 2:18 and 24).


The significance of
Marriage
3. Marriage establishes the family as
the basic social unit, and the home as
the "little sanctuary" (Ezekiel 11:16). It is
where children can grow up under the
loving protection and guidance of their
parents, and where the Jewish religion can
be practised and transmitted from
generation to generation.


The significance of marriage for both the individual and the
community:

Marriage is seen as a personal, contractual
relationship.
Marriage is seen as the fulfilment of the Mitzvah.
All Jewish men and women are expected to marry. This
is the first commandment – located in Genesis.
Marriage is a holy covenant.
Marriage is a religious obligation.
Marriage structures the lives of the couple and
assigns clear roles to each partner.
Marriage fulfils a mitzvah as it is a positive
religious duty.
Marriage signifies the beginning of a new family.


Marriage focuses on the centrality of
the home and family and thus the
continuation of the Jewish nation.
Marriage is a way of holiness for the
couple. It is through their relationship and
the following of the mitzvah that the
couple builds their relationship with God.


Within the marriage ceremony, the seven
blessings praise God for the creation of all
things, linking the couple to the story of
creation and the history of the Jewish people.
Elevates the ordinary/mundane to the
supernatural. It is a means of contact with
God, who is present at the ceremony.


A means of identification with
Judaism and with the Jewish
community. It helps the couple to
understand more clearly the central
beliefs of Judaism. The marriage
ceremony also strengthens the
community of believers by putting the
couple on equal footing with other
married couples within the community
and making them responsible for
ensuring their life style is in keeping
with Jewish teaching and tradition.


Video Analysis


Video Analysis
For each video, write down key/
identifying features of the ritual
depicted. (want to collate these at
the end)
What things stand out?
Common features? etc


Ketubah ~ 6 minutes

Processional ~ 5 minutes

‘My big fat Jewish Wedding’ ~ 7 minutes

Mikvah ~ 2 minutes

Wedding ~ 13 minutes

Hsc marriage-judaism-2010 updated

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