Sunday 11 June 2017

A Lasting Jewish Interfaith Wedding LA

By Frank Price


A soulmate at the best of times is hard to find but sometimes not the case in Los Angeles, California. Because of the many chat groups and dating sites on the Internet or World Wide Web it is not too difficult and not uncommon to find couples in a Jewish Interfaith Wedding LA. When this happens, couples may find it overwhelming in deciding how and what they would like their special day to be.

Most Rabbis or Our Teacher as it is translated, will want to help out in weddings of interfaith as this goes against their belief system. They are the spiritual leaders of their congregations and adhere to the strict letter of the Torah Law as it has been laid down for centuries. It is written that a man may marry another Jewess and not someone from outside the faith.

However there are ways to circumvent these traditions and overcome the problem of two people wanting to be together for eternity. It takes some investigation and this is not so difficult having the Internet at hand and liaising with others who have travelled the same route. A judge is one way of skipping the traditional methods but some may want to include customs with either Jewish flavour or other non-jewish customs. It is all up to the couple.

There are reasons as to why an Orthodox or religious Rabbi will not officiate at a wedding of this kind. With this ring you are consecrated to me according to Moses and all of Israel. These are words that are said by the groom before putting the ring on his betrothed's finger.

It all depends on how kosher or Jewish a couple wants their big day to be. The bride should she not be a Jewess may not mind that certain customs be thrown into the ceremony. It all depends on the groom in this case and he can opt to have a traditional flavour to the day or not. The Internet offers assistance and a lot of material has already been written on this subject for perusal. It is good to see how others have overcome this dilemma.

There are other traditions that may be considered adding or being left out of the ceremony in the days preceding the event or after it. The Sheva Brachot or Seven benedictions are said at the reception and these date back to Biblical times. They can be left out if need be but not at an all Jewish event.

Interfaith marriages are not uncommon and can be found in most religious denominations. In Judaism, this was unlikely centuries ago as couple were matched either by their parents or with a go between or marriage person known as a Shatgan. This is still custom in mainstream Judaism where couples are matched and dates set to see if they are compatible or not.

There existed a member of the community who is and was called a Shatgan. This person together with the parents would choose suitable matches for their children. So they were organised marriages unlike today.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment