SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW,
SOMETHING BORROWED,
Everything Jewish
MARISSA STERN | JE STAFF
hen you go to a Jewish wedding, you can expect a few
standard customs: breaking a glass, signing a ketubah,
watching the future spouses drink some wine, a family
member saying or doing something extremely embar-
rassing — just to name a few.

Have you ever wondered how that changes when you go to, say,
India? Or how those traditions have changed over time?
Since the days when the OG couples of our biblical past started
getting hitched, Jews have adopted certain customs. Veils, for in-
stance, have a history that goes way back when — thanks to Leah,
the original “catfish” in that whole Jacob and Rachel situation.

These customs have stuck around for thousands of years, but ob-
viously, times change — and sometimes brides may borrow some-
thing old and something new to fit their wedding taste.

The Modern Wedding
Many wedding traditions have been slightly modified to fit the times
of the more modern bride.

Marlena Thompson wrote in an article about how wedding tra-
ditions have changed on the Jewish Federations of North America
website that veils are now no longer a requirement.

“Some modern women reject it because of its similarity to the
purdah — the requisite face covering worn by married Middle East-
8 MARCH 31, 2016
ern women — an emblem of modesty to some and of oppression to
others,” she wrote.

A few modifications of these older traditions might not be as
newly popular as you think. Wedding rings, for instance, now are
pretty much a universal staple at wedding ceremonies, but this tra-
dition has truly ancient roots.

Jewish marriage requires kinyan, Thompson continued in her
findings, which she defined as an act requiring “that the bride be
given — and that she accept — something of nominal value from
the groom.”
In ancient times, an act of kinyan was symbolized by a coin given
to the bride. While that custom still has roots in present-day
Sephardic traditions, nowadays a ring is much more immediately
recognized in fulfilling that requirement. Plus, if a groom hands
you a coin when you say “I do,” it might look a little weird.

The notion of a bride and groom each exchanging a ring is more
modern concept, Thompson noted, and has faced its share of scrutiny.

“The double ring ceremony popular today is a relatively recent
custom, and one that raises some objections among traditional Jews,”
she explained. “Some think that an exchange of rings invalidates
kinyan” — the formal acquisition of a thing of value by the bride.

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