Overview of the Jewish
Wedding
This 11 page article is a whimsical way of looking at Leviticus 23. Enjoy.
Exodus (Salvation) Leviticus
Laws , Leviticus 23 God’s Biblical Calendar. Leviticus 25 Jubilee, Matt 24-25,
Revlation, Genesis
Father, grant us this time
to look at your word in a refreshing new way. Amen
This entire picture covers
the entire Bible in a nut shell. In the Jewish wedding, there are 22 steps.
These steps are found in the Torah (5 Books of Moses) as well as other places
in the Bible.
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Steps in a Jewish Wedding
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Step
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Description
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Scriptures
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Marriage Covenant
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The father pays for the
bride and establishes the marriage covenant.
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Bridal Chamber Prepared
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The son returns to his
father’s house and prepares the bridal chamber.
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Bride Fetched
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At a time determined by
the father (Mtt. Mat. 24:36), the groom fetches the bride to
bring her to his father’s house. “Although the bride was expecting her groom
to come for her, she did not know the time of his coming. As a result, the
groom’s arrival was preceded by a shout, which forewarned the bride to be prepared
for his coming.”3
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Bride Cleansed
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The bride undergoes ritual
cleansing prior to the wedding ceremony.
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1Cor. 3:12-15; Rev. 19:7-8+, Eph 5:26-27
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Wedding Ceremony
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The private wedding
ceremony.
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Consummation
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In the privacy of the
bridal chamber the bride and groom consummate the marriage.
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Marriage Feast
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The celebratory marriage
feast to which many are invited.
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GOD made a
covenant like a marriage covenant with his people (Isa 54:5-6)
Shiddukhin?
Shiddukhin refers to the
first step in the marriage process, the arraignments preliminary to the legal
betrothal. It was common in ancient Israel of the father of the groom to select
a bride for his son (Gen 38:6).
Biblical Example of
Shiddukhin - Genesis 24:1-4
Notice in this passage Abraham makes
arrangements for his son Isaac's wedding. While the father usually had the
responsibility in Abraham's life it was not possible. It was acceptable for the
father to delegate this responsibility by designating a representative called a
shadkhan, marriage broker or matchmaker.
AT (Aleph—Tav) Head of the
cross. AT is found 600 times in the Torah (5 Books of Moses) and totally 2000
times in the Tanakh (OT) Greek Alpha and Omega. I am the beginning and the end,
the first and the last.
Aleph means Head, first, God
(Elohim) Rev 22:end (A)men), beginning
Tav means cross, YHVH,
Yeshua, end, last. Yod is the smallest letter of the Hebrew Alphabet and it
means hands. Hay means behold, reveal. Vav means nails.
A-T also points to the noun
following AT.
Hebrew is read right to
left.
Market Place
We begin our story in the market place.
Genesis 1. “in the
beginning” (BereshiT (tav, last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, last, end)
Bride and groom enter. Lev 23 Groom Jesus/
God Gen 1:1 (Aleph-Tav) Bride Man 6th
Day (Lev 23: Bride is given the keys to help fulfill Lev 23 beginning in
Exodus)
Groom, Jesus, Acceptable
year of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke), Lev 25:9ff, Jubilee.
The groom enters the market and stands
with his friends and they talk. The bride enters and talks with her
girlfriends. The groom notices her and intently looks at her. He positions
himself while talking to his friends so he can look at her. She sees him
glancing at her, she turns away and blushes. Then she sees him again and
intently looks back to him. They excuse themselves from their friends and talk
to each other. They exchange e-mails, addresses and phone numbers, then they
separate from each other for a while.
As you grew up in church, God wooed you (Jn
6:44) by planting seeds into your life. These seeds (letters and e-mails) were
laced with the Word.
In Exodus, the slaves were being slaved.
They desired that a Savior would come along and save them from Egyptian
slavery. Moses (Groom) enters in to save them. Jesus is our Groom.
Wooing. Jn 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me
draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
No man can come to me,
except the Father . . . draw him. Their obstinacy and unbelief (Joh_6:41-42) called out this. Two things are
needful to come to Christ, the human will to come and the divine drawing (see Joh_5:40; Mat_23:37;
Rev_22:17). God "draws" by
the gospel. "It is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom_1:16). If our will consents, so that we
yield to the drawing, we will come to Christ.Draw him - This word is
used here, evidently, to denote such an influence from God as to secure the
result, or as to incline the mind to believe; yet the manner in which this is
done is not determined by the use of the word. It is used in the New Testament
six times. Once it is applied to a compulsory drawing of Paul and Silas to the
market-place, Act_16:19. Twice it is used to
denote the drawing of a net, Joh_21:6, Joh_21:11. Once to the drawing of a sword Joh_18:10; and once in a sense similar to its use
here Joh_12:32; “And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me.” What is its meaning here must be
determined by the facts about the sinner’s conversion. See the notes at Joh_6:40. In the conversion of the sinner God
enlightens the mind Joh_6:45, he inclines the
will Psa_110:3, and he influences the soul by
motives, by just views of his law, by his love, his commands, and his
threatenings; by a desire of happiness, and a consciousness of danger; by the
Holy Spirit applying truth to the mind, and urging him to yield himself to the
Saviour. So that, while God inclines him, and will have all the glory, man
yields without compulsion; the obstacles are removed, and he becomes a willing
servant of God. Except the Father - draw him - But how is a man drawn?
St. Augustin answers from the poet, Trahit sua quemque voluptas; a man
is attracted by that which he delights in. Show green herbage to a sheep, he is
drawn by it: show nuts to a child, and he is drawn by them. They run wherever
the person runs who shows these things: they run after him, but they are not
forced to follow; they run, through the desire they feel to get the things they
delight in. So God draws man: he shows him his wants - he shows the Savior whom
he has provided for him: the man feels himself a lost sinner; and, through the
desire which he finds to escape hell, and get to heaven, he comes unto Christ,
that he may be justified by his blood. Unless God thus draw, no man will ever
come to Christ; because none could, without this drawing, ever feel the need of
a Savior. See August. Tract. 26, in Joan. and Calmet.
Drawing, or alluring, not
dragging is here to be understood. “He,” say the rabbins, “who desires to
cleave to the holy and blessed God, God lays hold of him, and will not cast him
off.” Synops. Sohar. p. 87. The best Greek writers use the verb in the same
sense of alluring, inciting, etc.
Spring March, Abib, First,
Beginning of months (Ex 12:2) 28-33 AD for Christ
Groom meets with bride’s father to ask for
her hand in marriage. Moses did this with the ten plagues to Pharaoh. Christ
did this with our parents because they saw the change in their daughter. They
may have disagreed but the seeds were planted in them and they changed their
minds if they weren’t a believer already.
Bride’s price. Redemption, Passover,
Christ’s life; (Gen 34:12; Is 53:4-6, Matt
26:26-28; I Pet 1:18-19; 1 Cor 6:20) Isaac and Rebecca (Gen.
24:53). Jacob and his wives (Gen.
29:20,27).
Mikveh, Baptism, Immersion. Unleavened
Bread. The bride and groom do the Mikveh separately. (Sea of Reed, Christ’s
burial also at the beginning of His ministry, Matt 3:13-17). Bride Mikveh: Ezek
16:8-9; Acts 8:36-38. Jesus did His Mikveh on the Day of Atonement.
Resurrection, Feast of first Fruits. Groom
exits the Mikveh just like Christ did.
Also we have the picture of Moses or
somebody cutting the animal in half and God walking between the two halves,
sealing the covenant between Him and us.
Covenant of Blood ceremony. The groom and
bride pricks their fingers or cuts their fingers, mixes the blood together as
they clasp their hands together (Resurrection).
Pentecost. May Spring
Pentecost, Ketubah, Ten Commandments. Exodus
20: 1-17; Deut 5:6-21. The day arrives where they get together to look at the
marriage covenant with the Bride’s Father.
1.. Exodus 24:6-8 Written on a paper. The
Ketubah (Gen 24:52-53) has to be written on a scroll or parchment, the bride
listens to it as the groom reads it to her. She agrees to the covenant contract
(Gen 24:5; Ex 24:3; Rom 10:8-10), signs it, and they seal the covenant with a covenant
of blood.
Moses wrote the Ten Commandments on a
scroll (Exod 24:6-8), read it to the mixed multitude. They said “we will abide
and do (v.7). This was their signature. Then Moses in v. 8 sprinkled blood on
the people and on the scroll (Covenant of Blood). He then placed it in a sheath
and hung it outside of the ark. The blood of Christ when He was pierced on the
cross and blood sprinkled on the people, sealed the marriage covenant.
The Bible is our Ketubah.
Groom goes to the Fathers house to prepare
his new house (mansion) for his bride (Jn 14:1-4).
Illustrated in Messiah's
Bride
The shiddukhin starts with the father's
selection of a bride for his beloved son. So too were we selected by the Father
to be His Beloved Son's loving precious bride (Eph.
1:4). As in the case of Isaac there is also a matchmaker (II Cor. 11:10-12). We also have a legal contract,
a ketubah hbtk, which is the New Covenant itself in which:
The groom promises love and care for His
bride and to give Himself for her. He also has paid the proper price for His
bride (His own life).
The bride promises to pay her dowry, her
financial status that of her yielded life and to keep herself for Him (I
Cor. 6:20).
The Mohar is also illustrated in our
relationship to Yeshua - we are told in (I Cor. 6:19-20) that we have been redeemed with a
price. We are also told that our bride's price is not just silver and gold but
His own life (I Pet. 1:18-19)
Both bride and groom have undergone the
waters of mikveh or immersion. Yeshua at the beginning of His ministry (Mat. 3: 13-17) and we His bride in the cleansing waters (Eph.5:26-27,
I Cor. 6:11; Ezek 16:8-9).
The Eyrusin or Betrothal
The word eyrusin means Betrothal. The
period is also called, kiddushim, meaning "sanctification" or
"set apart." This word really defines the purpose of the betrothal
period. It is a time in which the couple are to set side to prepare themselves
to enter into the covenant of marriage. The Jewish understanding of betrothal
has always been much stronger than our modern understanding of an engagement.
The betrothal was so binding that the couple would need a religious divorce or
(get) in order to annul the contract (Deut.
24:1-4). This option was only available to the husband, as the wife
had no say in any divorce proceeding.
Other scriptures: Hos 2:19-20; 2 Cor 11:2
Aspects of the Betrothal
After the couple had undergone Mikveh hwqm
(immersion), each separately, they would appear together under the Huppah or
canopy (cloud) and in public they would express their intention of becoming
betrothed or engaged. From ancient times the wedding canopy has been a symbol
of a new household being planned (Ps.
19:5; Joel 2:16). While under the Huppah the couple
participated in a ceremony in which some items of value were exchanged such as
rings (Gen 41:42; Lk 15:22), and a cup of wine (Matt 26:27-28; 3rd
cup of redemption) was shared to seal the betrothal vows. After the ceremony
the couple was considered to have entered into the betrothal agreement. This
period was to last for one year. During this time the couple was considered
married yet did not have sexual relations and continued to live separately
until the end of the betrothal. We see this time of betrothal illustrated in
the gospels as reflected in the lives of Yoseph and Miriam (see Mat.
1:18-25).
The Matan or Bridal Gift
Following this betrothal ceremony the groom
would return to his home to fulfill his obligations during the betrothal. But
just prior to leaving he would give his wife to be a Matan ntm or bridal gift
(Eph 4:7-8; I Cor 12:1), a pledge of his love for her. It's purpose was to be a
reminder to his bride during their days of separation of his love for her, that
he was thinking of her and that he would return to receive her as his wife.
Vail. The bride would keep a vail covering
her face to tell everyone that she was taken.
If anyone would ask the day of the wedding he would
say “Only my father knows” for the father had to be completely satisfied and
every preparation had been made before he could get his bride.
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
The summer describes Rev
6-19:7. It may also refer to the Church period in Rev 1-5
Brides House Summer
She keeps herself busy by making her wedding
gown (I Thess 5:23; Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:7). This preparation meant making her
own wedding gown, getting ready for her new role, transferring her allegiance
from her father to her new husband, going from the familiar to the unfamiliar,
from depending on family to depending upon her husband for everything, learning
to love him, and setting her mind on how to please him.
Bride’s maids. Ten Virgins (Matthew
25:1-13)
Exodus Wilderness Walk. As the bride waits
for the groom, she along with the marriage contract, (Ten Commandments and
Levitical codes where they apply) goes through trials and tribulation. (Exodus
wilderness 40 year walk) to make her dress and make it pure and holy.
Tribulation, Daniel’s Seventieth Week, Jacob’s Trouble. Could this refer to the
time of 2010 to 2017?
During this “preparation period,” the bride
is referred to as “consecrated,” or set apart (or sanctified). She always wore
a veil, so it was apparent to others that she was engaged. This veil was
symbolic of a pledge or a commitment.
Illustrated in Messiah's
Betrothal to His Bride
As the betrothal includes the blessings of
the wine under the huppah, one of the last of Yeshua's actions was to bless the
cup of the New Covenant, the cup of the ketubah hbtk that contract of marriage.
He too stated that He would not taste again until a later time, when he would
drink at the wedding feast. The image of our betrothal also answers the
question of whether believers can loose their salvation. The Scripture points
to the fact that we are betrothed to the Messiah - we are in that engagement
period prior to the wedding:
As in any
betrothal, the promise is so sure of our wedding that it would take a religious
(get) divorce to nullify the contract.
This
divorce (get) is only available to the husband.
This too is promised by God in Hosea
2:19-20. He promises that He will betrothal His people to Himself
forever. Would God ever divorce His people (Malachi
2:16), certainly it is not in His character to divorce.
The lesson
or implications are quite clear. We are secure in our Messiah's contract with
us. We cannot break it and He promises that He will not break it (Jn.
10:28).
How is Messiah fulfilling His betrothal
obligations? What was the duty of the bridegroom during the period of the
betrothal? To prepare a household for his bride to be. Is this not what He
(Yeshua) said He would be doing ?(Jn.
14:1-3). He is fulfilling His part of the betrothal.
Where is
the Matan ntm or bridal gift of love from Messiah, if indeed we are His
betrothed. Remember the word Matan ntm means gift or pledge. In Greek the word
is Charismata. In Eph 1:13-14; 4:30 Paul tells us that this pledge
or gift is the Holy Spirit a promise of love and that He will return for us.
Interestingly this pledge was given at Shavuot (Pentecost) Acts
2:1-4. Could He also be telling us not only of His love but just how
He is fulfilling (Jer 31:33)?
But what of His bride. What is she to be
doing? During this one year period the bride would consecrate herself and
prepare holy garments for the upcoming marriage. Paul puts this preparation in
very clear terms (Eph 5:25-27). The bridegroom is making
preparations to return for His bride - we need to ask ourselves are we as His
betrothed keeping our garments clean? Are we arrayed in our bridal attire, and
keeping our ketubah (Holy Bible) covenant promises and vows? She prepares
herself for the wedding (1 Pet 4:10, Rev 19:7-8). She prepares herself for the
wedding (1 Pet 4:10, Rev 19:6-8).
When we enter the betrothal, we have 1000 suitcases to get rid
of, so we clean our temple (house) top to bottom and make it pure white, which
means we let the Holy Spirit and the
word cleanse us through and through.
The
Nissuin - Marriage Itself
The culminating step in the Process of the
Jewish Wedding
The final step in the wedding process is
called: Nissuin, the word comes from the Hebrew verb: hsn (nasa) which means ,
"to carry." This is a graphic description as the bride would be waiting
for her groom to come to carry her off to her new home. The period of the
betrothal was a time of great anticipation as the bride waited for the arrival
of her betrothed. One of the unique features of the Biblical Jewish wedding was
the time of the groom's arrival. It was to be a surprise:
The bride took the betrothal seriously
expecting the end of the year long period of the betrothal.
She knew the approximate timing but the
exact hour or day was uncertain.
It was the father of the groom who would
give the final approval for the marriage to begin.
Rev19:6-9 Marriage Supper
of the Lamb
Day of the Trumpet Jubilee and Acceptable year of the Lord.
Fall, September. Lev 23:24; I Kgs 1:34; Ex 19:16
Night retrieval (Matt 25:1-13; Jer 25:10).
Day of Christ (Ps 98:6-9; 1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; Phil 1:6, 10; 2:16.).
Groom wears a crown (Isa 61:10; Song 3:11; 2 Kgs 11:12) and is called a King.
Groomsmen (witnesses, 2 Rev 11; Jud 14:11;
Matt 9:15)
The Groom comes from the father’s house
with his groomsmen to the brides house (I Thess 4:16-18, I Cor 15:52, Matt
24:30-31). It was customary for one of the grooms
party to go ahead of the bridegroom, leading the way to the bride's house and
shout: "Behold, the bridegroom comes (Jer 7:34; Rev 18:23)." The
Groom’s party is preceded by a band of musicians or singers (Gen 31:27; Jer
7:34; 16:9). He takes her (Gen 21:21; 24:3, 38; 26:34) (caught up) and
carries (sedan chair, litter, donkey) her to his father’s house, with every
demonstration of gladness (Ps 45:15).
The
bride is the queen of the day and wears a crown (I Pet 5:4).Five of the
bridesmaids come with her, five do not (Matt 25:1, 6). On the way through the
village, they pick up wedding guests and virgins (Matthew 25:6; Zechariah
14:16-21) with lit torches (fire by night). There is singing, dancing, and
music (tambourines and trumpets). The villagers are on the way to a week long
feast.
F. Days of Awe. Mikvey.
Cleansing/Purification. Prior entrance into the promised land.
Between the Day of the Trumpet and the Day
of Atonement are the 8 days of Awe. Day of Trumpet and Day of Atonement makes
up the total ten days of Awe.
The bride cleanses and purifies (I Jn 3:3)
herself just as the mixed multitude did prior to entering the Promised land.
This cleansing and purification also occurs throughout our life as we prepare
for the marriage day. Psalm 114.
Judgment of the Believers
On the day of purification the bride comes
under judgment for her life. Her bad stuff is burned by fire (Fire by Night)
and she picks up her crowns. She becomes a Queen (I Pet 5:4).
Day of the Lord Trumpeta nd Bowl Judgments Rev 8-16/19
Isa 2:12;
Rev 19:11-21; Rev 16:12-16 Armageddon.
G. Day of Atonement Wedding day. Marriage Vows (Psa 45; Prov
2:17; Ezek 16:8; Mal 2:14). Judgment of the Sheep and Goats (Gen 12:3, Joel
3:1-12; Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 11:26-27; Isaiah 59:20-21; 60:11-22; Jeremiah
31 and 33; Ezekiel 36:24-38; 37),
On this wondrous day, the bride and groom
meet together under a Hoopah (Cloud by Day), and they exchange vows before the
Father. They then kiss.
The mixed multitude cross the river.
Christ returns to the earth
with His bride.
H. Feast of Tabernacles.
Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Covenant of Peace/Rest, Promised Land, 1000 year
millennium, New Heaven and New Earth, 7th day of Creation, (Rev
20-22).
The feast (Marriage Supper, Jn 14:10-12;
Rev 19:9; Matthew 22:1–14; 25:1–13; Gen 29:22; Lk 14:8; Jn 2:2) with the guest
(sheep nations and unwise believers; Matthew 25:1-11; Zechariah 14:16-21)
lasted for 7 or 14 days (Jud 14:12).
Kings would sometimes give banquets for
their subjects and invite them all, regardless of status, providing suitable
clothing (Matt 22:11) for those unable to afford it. Therefore the one not
wearing what the king had provided was without excuse. For the meaning of
wedding clothes, see Rev_19:8.
The bridegroom now entered into direct
communication with the bride, and the “friend of the bridegroom… rejoices
greatly” at hearing the voice of the bridegroom conversing with her (Jn 3:29),
which he regarded as a satisfactory testimony of the success of his share in
the work.
The bride and groom goes into the Nuptual
(Judg 15:1; Joel 2:16) with a prepared huppa (Ps 19:5; Joel 2:16) for one day.
She is veiled (Gen 29:23, 25). During this time, they cuddle with each other.
They do lots of touching. She looses her virginity. The sheet gets a blood
stain.
Consummation
The groom takes the blood stained sheet to
the hallway, and men standing in the hallway examine the sheet and they say the
marriage is now consummated.
The Seventh Day. Water of Libation
Water of Libation. On this day, the priest
goes to the Pool of Solome with a pitcher. He fills it up and carries it back
to the Temple and dumps it on the alter.
The villiages watch the proceedings. There
are scaffolds at the pool, the streets are lined with villagers, and the men
are watching him at the court of Israel (men’s court). I believe he does this
trip seven times.
8th Day Shemini Atzeret is a type and shadow
of our heavenly Bridegroom saying to His bride, “After all the guests (Nations)
have returned home, let us (the twelve tribes of redeemed Israel) linger one
more day and savor the remembrance of our wedding celebration together.” That
one day is as a thousand years and is when the Bride enters the millennial
kingdom/eternity with the King. It is a solemn Shabbat celebration of
thankfulness.
Messiah's
Wedding - Still to Come
Yeshua told His disciples that He did not
know the day or hour of His return (Mat.
24:32-36) this is not so much to say He does not have all knowledge
but as with any Jewish bridegroom he must wait for His Father to give the word
that the set time has come.
As we noted before in a traditional Jewish
wedding one of the groom's men would go before the arrival of the groom and
shout “Behold the groom comes”. Should we expect anything less with the coming
of our heavenly bridegroom? But where do
we see such an event? If we look to (I Thess 4:16-18) we see that just prior to our
Lord's return, there will indeed be a shout from one of the ruling angels. What
might this angel shout, could it be "Behold the groom comes?"
We also saw that after this joyful
proclamation of the groom's men there was in a traditional Jewish wedding the
joyful sounding of the shofar (trumpet). Will this happen when our Lord returns
to receive His bride? If we continue reading the description of our Lord's
future wedding in (I Thess 4:16-18) we see there also - the sounding
of the shofar in annunciation of His return.
At the sounding of the shofar the entire
wedding processional would go through the streets of the city to the bride's
house, but where is this wedding processional at Yeshua's coming wedding, again
it is clearly pictured for us in (I Thess 4:16-18) where all of Yeshua's wedding
party is gathered together for the great wedding feast.
The
pinnacle of the Jewish wedding was the joyful celebration of the marriage
supper this too is a facet of our Lord's soon coming wedding (Rev
19:7-9).
One last question needs to be raised who is
the bride of Yeshua?
From the passage in Hosea (2:19-20) it is
clear that Israel is the Bride of God.
Yet the Newer Covenant Scriptures tell us
that the "church" is the bride of Messiah.
Does God have two brides? Is He a
polygamist? No!
Or,
is it possible as some have suggested, God divorced one bride, Israel, to marry
another, the church? That cannot be for God has told us He hates divorce (Mal
2:16) and Jeremiah affirms God's everlasting covenant with the
physical people Israel (Jer 31:35-37). This too is affirmed by Paul in
(Rom 9-11).
The best solution then is to affirm the
fact that God has always had one bride, His chosen people Israel. This has been
enlarged to include those grafted in to Israel
(Rom
11:17), the gentile believers.
The couple now begin their
marriage under peace and rest.
Rev 21 through Rev 22. Amen A (Aleph)
Yeshua
and Israel
Many scriptures make clear that Israel will be redeemed to GOD
in these last days, and we should not be mislead by Replacement Theology. (See
Rom 11:26-31, Jer 3:14, Zech 12: 10 to 14, 21).
Father, thankyou for a
wonderful time of review of Exodus and Leviticus. Amen.
Additional Reading
Who is the Bride of Christ?
by Eddie Chumney - read it online.
God's Appointed Customs by
Barney Kasdan - which you can order through Amazon.
Charles C. Ryrie, Come Quickly, Lord Jesus (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House Publishers, 1996), 67.
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed. (Tustin, CA:
Ariel Ministries, 2003), 162-163.
Renald E. Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come (Bellmawr, NJ: The
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1995), 165.
John MacArthur, Revelation 12-22: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary
(Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2000), Rev. 19:11.
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