With Optional Ceremony For
Receiving A Non-Jewish Bride Into Israel
by Michael Rudolph1
This paper presents a thoroughly New Covenant wedding liturgy, with an optional ceremony
whereby a non-Jewish bride of a Jewish groom may become a proselyte to Israel in the
example of Ruth.
It is not the purpose herein to defend the elements of a traditional Jewish wedding or the practice of New Covenant proselytization.2 The approach throughout has been to examine the wedding traditions passed on to us by Rabbinic Judaism, to select those which are consistant with the New Covenant, and to replace those which are not. The resulting liturgy retains all of the beauty and folk-majesty of the Ashkenaz wedding while, at the same time, introduces bold innovations to assure that the celebration is Yeshua centered.
Since our communities are mostly English-speaking, English rather than Hebrew forms the basis for the liturgy. Where Hebrew is used, it is translated from the English, rather than vice-versa, employing the author's "Reversable Phonetic Transliteration" to accurately preserve the Hebrew spelling. Most parts of the service are spoken rather than sung, the exceptions being:
(a) The processional and celebration music
(b) The blessings over the bread and wine
(c) The seven wedding benedictions
(d) The Aaronic blessing
A singable English-language adaptation of the "seven benedictions" is included along with one of its traditional melodies.
In a departure from tradition, the betrothal agreement utilizes both a k'tubah and verses from the Holy Scriptures. It is strongly urged that only a New Covenant k'tubah be used; if one is not available, the Holy Scriptures themselves should be thought of as the k'tubah, and a Bible should be signed accordingly. In another departure from tradition, this time from modern tradition, no recessional is employed. Instead, a joyous celebration with congratulations and dancing begins under the chupah as soon as the new couple is introduced as husband and wife.
It is sincerely hoped that the outline which follows will be a joy and a blessing to all who use it.
WEDDING OF
DAVID RUDOLPH AND HARUMI KONDO
Performed At Melech Yisrael
Toronto, Canada
July 30, 1988
PRE-PROCESSIONAL
Ushers seat guests (Front rows reserved for immediate family)
PROCESSIONAL3
Chupah Holders4 (Set up and hold chupah)
Rav (Rear of chupah, facing guests)
Best Man and other attendants of groom
---
Rav M.5: Barukh haba b'shem adonai!6
He who is supremely mighty;
He who is supremely praised;
He who is supremely great;
May he bless this bridegroom and bride!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!7
Groom is escorted by parent(s); groom faces rav under chupah.
Maid of Honor and other attendants of bride come.
Rav M.: Barukh haba'ah b'shem adonai!
Mighty is our God;
Yeshua our Messiah;
Praiseworthy is the bridegroom;
Praiseworthy and beautiful is the bride!
Blessed is she who comes in the name of the Lord!
The bride is escorted by parents.
Groom faces bride, offers his right arm and escorts her under the chupah.
Bride circles groom 7 times counter-clockwise,8 after which
she stands
to groom's right, and both she and groom face rav.
Parents and escorts are seated.
BETROTHAL9
Rav M.: (Betrothal blessings)
Barukh atah adonai, eloheynu melekh haolam;
Borey p'ree hagafen.
Blessed are you O Lord our God, king of the universe,
Who has created the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us in Messiah Yeshua, and has commanded us concerning forbidden connections, and has forbidden to us those who are merely betrothed, but has allowed to us those lawfully married to us through chupah and betrothal.10
Blessed are you, O Lord, who bless your people through chupah and betrothal.
Bride & groom taste first goblet of wine.
Rav M.: (Reading the K'tubah - Nuptial Agreement)
Explain and read the K'tubah.
The K'tubah is agreed to and signed.
Rav M.: (Reading the Covenant Scriptures of Nuptial Agreement)
De 6:4-9 Loving God
1 Co 13:1-13 Love
1 Ti 5:8 Supporting family
Pr 22:6 Bringing up children
1 Co 7:3-5 Giving of self
Ep 5:22-33 Wives & husbands
The Scriptures are agreed to and signed.
Rav M.: (To groom)
David, do you, of your own free will and consent, take Harumi to be your wife; and do you promise to love, honor and cherish her throughout life?
Groom: I do.
Rav M.: (To bride)
Harumi, do you, of your own free will and consent, take David to be your husband, and do you promise to love, honor and cherish him throughout life?
Bride: I do.
Rav M.: (To groom)
David, you will now betrothe the bride, in the presence of these witnesses, by placing this ring upon the third finger of her left hand, and say to her in Hebrew:
Harey at m'kudeshet liy b'taba'at zu k'dat Mosheh v'yisrael, b'shem Yeshua hamashiach.
Behold, you are betrothed to me with this ring, in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel, in the name of Yeshua the messiah.
Rav M.: (to Bride)
Harumi, you will now accept the covenant betrothal offered to you by David in the presence of these witnesses, by placing this ring upon the third finger of his left hand, and say to him:
Behold, I am betrothed to you with this ring, in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel, in the name of Yeshua the Messiah.
Rav M.: (Explains "The Lord's memorial bread and wine" as inviting God to be a covenant party to the betrothal.
Explains the relevance of Hos 2:16-23 and 2 Co 11:2.)
The
memorial bread and wine are taken by the bridegroom and the bride (Mt. 26:26-28).
BRIDE'S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL
(Optional)
Rav M.: (To bride regarding covenant with Israel)
Harumi, you have expressed your desire and intention, not only to marry David who is an Israelite, but also to join the nation of Israel covenantally as a Messianic proselyte. Such a step is also a marriage of sort, in that it is a covenant undertaking which is irreversible, and your destiny will be linked to the people of Israel forever. It is a serious step, not to be taken lightly, for you are proclaiming to God, Israel and the world that you are joining yourself to Israel physically as well as spiritually, and that this connection and commitment is independent of your salvation, and will last your whole life.
Harumi, you are a believer in Yeshua and are therefore already grafted into and the recipient of all the benefits of the covenant which God made with our fatherAbraham. If you join Israel as a Messianic proselyte you will be taking upon yourself all of the obligations of the covenant as well. Do you understand all of this?
Bride: Yes I do.
Rav M.:
Harumi, becoming a Messianic proselyte to Israel is not necessary in order to marry David. Do you believe that you are called by God to join yourself to Israel in this way?
Bride: Yes I do.
Rav M.: Long ago, a Moabitess named Ruth, a woman honored to have a book of the Bible named after her and who is in the physical lineage of Yeshua, offered herself covenantally to Israel with these words:
"Your God will be my God, and your people will be my people."
Some time later, Israel responded in the affirmative by permitting her marriage to an Israelite named Boaz. Harumi, you have already received the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through your acceptance of and faith in Yeshua. Are you now also offering yourself covenantally to Israel in the example of Ruth?
Bride: Yes.
Rav M.: Then turn to David who is an Israelite and repeat the covenant words of Ruth:
"David, your God is my God, and your people will be my people."
Bride: (Repeats covenant promise of Ruth)
Rav M.: David, do you believe that God has genuinely called Harumi, not only to be your wife, but also to be a Messianic proselyte to Israel?
Groom: Yes I do.
Rav M.: (To David) Then turn to Harumi and repeat after me:
"Harumi, as a representative of Israel and as your husband-to-be, I accept you into the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a Messianic proselyte to Israel, and let my marriage to you today be the sealing of this covenant on the part of Israel. May you, from this day forward, be known in Israel as " Ha`dasah bat Tsiyon -- Esther, daughter of Zion."
HUPPAH (MARRIAGE)
Rav M.: (Chants the seven marriage benedictions)
Bride & Groom taste second goblet of wine.
Groom breaks glass.11
Groom cloaks his tallit over himself and his bride.
Rav M.: May you who blessed our ancestors, bless this bridegroom and bride, and henceforth prosper the ways upon which they walk. May they always find grace and favor in the eyes of those who meet them. May they aspire to build a praiseworthy house among God's people. May peace reign in their home, and may contentment and happiness be in their hearts all the days of their lives.12
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
In the name of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua our Messiah, amen.
Y'varech'cha Adonai v'yishm'recha
Ya-eyr Adonai panayv eyleycha vichunecha
Yisa Adonai panayv eyleycha
V'yaseym l'cha shalom.
The groom removes the tallit from the bride and places it upon himself.
Rav M.: You may kiss the bride.
Rav M.: (To Guests)
It is now my pleasure to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. David Rudolph.
CELEBRATION - NO RECESSIONAL
SEVEN BENEDICTIONS13
(Singable Messianic Lyrics)
1. Praised be thou O Lord our God
King of the universe
Who sent us Yeshua our Messiah.
2. Praised be thou O Lord our God
King of the universe
Who created all things to his glory.
3. Praised be thou O Lord our God
King of the universe
Who has created man.
4. Praised be thou O Lord our God
King of the universe
Who has made man -- in his image
After his likeness -- and after himself
Who prepared from man -- a perpetual fabric
Praised be thou O Lord our God
Who has created man.
5. May the nation -- who is childless
Be glad -- and rejoice
When its children -- are gathered back in joy
Praised be thou O Lord
Who gladdens Zion in her children.
6. May you gladden -- these beloved ones
As you gladdened -- thy creatures
In the garden of Eden -- in time of Yore
Praised be thou O Lord
Who gladdens the bridegroom and bride.
7. Praised be thou O Lord our God
King of the universe
Who hast created joy and gladness
Joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride
Who hast created joy and gladness
Joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride.
Re-joicing, song and delight
Love and brotherhood and peace
Rejoicing, song and delight
Peace and fellowship.
Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah
And in the Streets of Jerusalem
The-voice of joy, the voice of gladness
Voice of the bridegroom, voice of the bride.
The jubilant voice of bridegrooms
In their nuptial canopies
And of youths from their feasts of song
Praised be thou O Lord
Who gladdens the bridegroom and the bride.
Endnotes
1. The elements of the traditional Jewish wedding contained in this paper have been excerpted or adapted from Hyman E. Goldin, Hamadrikh / The Rabbi's Guide (New York: Hebrew Publishing Company, 1956).
2. M. Rudolph, "Proselytes to Israel in a Messianic Jewish Congregation" (unpublished, August 6, 1988).
3. Music is usually played for the processional.
4. See Psalms 19:5 and Joel 2:16 for biblical references to the chupah.
5. The notation Rav M. is an abreviation for " rav m'shiychiy ", which means messianic teacher. Although this term is usually distinguished from the term " rabiy " (rabbi) by its different historical use and derivation, it is also important to note that it lacks the objectionable personalized connotation "my teacher".
6. Throughout this paper, the transliteration "adonai" is derived from "yhvh".
7. Goldin, pp. 16.
8. Aryeh Kaplan, Made in Heaven / A Jewish Wedding Guide (New York: Moznaim Publishing Corporation, 1983). Traditional sources record several possible meanings for the bride circling the bridegroom, as well as three variations in the number of revolutions prescribed. The author's reason for the circling is to publically proclaim the brides intention to submit to her husband in obedience to Ephesians 5:22-23, thereby witnessing to a biblical relationship between the husband and the wife.
9. If a betrothal is entered into in advance of the wedding, it is not conducted under a chupah.
10. Goldin, pp. 16-17.
11. As with other traditions, there are several explanations offered for the breaking of the glass. The author's reason for including a breaking of the glass is its significance that, just as the broken glass will never reconstitute itself into a whole vessel, so also is the joining of a man and woman as one flesh a permanent change, and neither the man nor the woman can ever return to his or her former state.
12. Adapted from Goldin, pp. 21-22.
13. Adapted from Goldin, pp. 20-21.
14. Ibid.
© Michael Rudolph
August 8, 1988