The Call Up
The Call Up also known as the Aufruf, happens on the Shabbat before the wedding for Ashkenazim and after the wedding for Sephardim. During the service the Groom is called up to the Torah and is given the honour of saying a prayer at the Torah reading. After the Call Up there is singing and cheering for the Groom and the women throw lollies in celebration of the upcoming marriage. Other aliyot go to the Groom’s family or close friends. At ARK Centre we invite the families to complete the aliyot form with the names of those they wish to honour on the day of the Call Up. Contact the office for a copy of the aliyot form.
The Wedding Ceremony
There are several ceremonial traditions that take place on the wedding day. They include:
Kabbalat Panim – The Kabbalat Panim are pre-nuptial receptions shortly before the chupah ceremony. Men and women are hosted separately.
Bedeken (veiling) – the Bride is seated, often with her immediate family and bridesmaids around her, and the Groom enters the room with his immediate family and groomsmen. This is the first of many times during the day where Rabbi Gabi leads the families in song. The Groom checks to make sure this is, in fact, the woman he has agreed to marry and then lowers the Bride’s veil. The Bedeken is scheduled for approximately 20 minutes prior to the chuppah.
Chuppah (canopy) – this is where the ceremony takes place. The Groom awaits his Bride with his parents under the chuppah. The Bride, accompanied by her parents, joins the Groom under the chuppah and proceeds to circle him seven times finishing on his right hand side.
Rabbi Gabi leads the brachot under the chupah. He guides the Groom and Bride in reciting brachot (prayers) and in drinking wine from the Kiddush cup. In keeping with tradition the union is only official when the Groom offers the Bride something of value – a ring. Rabbi Gabi then reads the ketubah (wedding certificate) and gives it to the kallah’s mother to hold for safe-keeping. Afterwards there is the recitation of the Shevah Brachot (the Seven Blessings). Traditionally the couple will have asked members of their families or close friends to say these brachot. Rabbi Gabi typically sings the last of the brachot as it leads into a wonderful song. The final formal act under the chupah is when the Groom breaks the glass with is foot as a symbol of remembering the destruction of the Second Temple. The sound of the glass smashing is a sign to all that the ceremony is complete and the couple are officially wed. Mazel Tov!
Yichud – After the chupah the couple are escorted to a room where they can spend a few moments alone. As they have been fasting this is a time to have something to eat before moving on to photos and the reception.
Signing Documentation – After the ceremony, the couple, along with their nominated witnesses, sign the civil documentation that is then lodged with the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages. In order to get a legal copy of your marriage certificate the couple must apply directly to the office approximately six weeks after the ceremony.
Marriage Lessons with Rabbi Gabi and Rebbetzin Mushka
Before a Jewish wedding the Bride and Groom are required to meet up with the Rabbi and Rebbetzin for several marriage lessons. In these classes, the couple are taught the basis of what it means to be in a Jewish marriage and touch on topics such as Taharat Hamishpocha (laws of family purity). The scheduling of these classes can be discussed during your initial meeting with Rabbi Gabi.
