Marriage

Author(s): Natubhai Shah
Publisher: UK Jain Academy

Page 39

'tenaim' which are very formal and dissolution of them would be difficult, the custom is for the two mothers to break a plate as a sign of agreement for the wedding to take place. The ceremony is called the 'wprt'(word) and is accompanied by celebrations.
C. The wedding date
Not long after their engagement, a couple will fix a date for their wedding which could be a long time ahead. This should take into account the bride's monthly cycle, for Judaism forbids martial relations during menstruation and for seven days afterwards. This period of abstinence ends when the wife immerses herself in a mikveh, a ritual bath. A bride too, must make her first visit to the mikveh just prior to her wedding. Ideally, both bride and groom will have spent a couple of months learning and reviewing the laws of family purity; a code of conduct that will regulate the physical side of their life together.
D. The Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony comprises:
(a)
(b)
a religious ceremony a wedding feast a week of celebration - the 'seven blessings'
(a)
The religious ceremony
This usually takes place either in or outside a synagogue or in the place where the wedding celebrations are held.
Fasting
Both bride and groom fast (on days permitted to fast) until after the religious ceremony for this is their own personal Day of Atonement', when they pray for forgiveness for all past sins. Married life must begin with a 'clean slate'.
39