Search results for: ""Kiddushin""
Eating before Making Shabbat Kiddush
You may eat non-mezonot and non-bread food before praying Shabbat shacharit and without making kiddush, in order to avoid hunger or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Jewish Wedding: Witnesses: Four Pairs
A Jewish wedding requires four pairs of witnesses, but the same witnesses may be used for all four parts: tanayim; ketuba; kiddushin; yichud. Each witness must be:
- A shomer-Shabbat, adult male,
- Not related to the bride or groom,
- Not related to each other, and
- Known to be an honest person.
Note There is no requirement to have only people who were born into shomer-Shabbat families as witnesses.
Note For more on relatives as witnesses, see Witnesses: Relatives in Jewish Courts.
Note For more on relatives as witnesses, see Witnesses: Relatives in Jewish Courts.
Eating before Making Jewish Festival Kiddush
As on Shabbat, you may eat non-mezonot and non-bread food before praying Jewish festival shacharit and without making kiddush, in order to avoid hunger or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Sukkot: Prayers: What Time To Start: Ma'ariv and Kiddush
- Ma'ariv on both nights of Sukkot may be said from 1 1/4 hours before sunset.
- Kiddush in the sukka may not be said until after dark on both nights.
Sukka: Leaving: First Night: Rain, Cold, Bees
You may leave the sukka due to extreme cold or heat, rain, or bees. You should not stay in a sukka if it is raining or very cold or will otherwise make people suffer.
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the rain is sporadic, wait until midnight before saying kiddush indoors.
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the forecast predicts rain all evening, you do not need to wait to see if the rain will stop before saying kiddush. Instead:
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the rain is sporadic, wait until midnight before saying kiddush indoors.
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the forecast predicts rain all evening, you do not need to wait to see if the rain will stop before saying kiddush. Instead:
- Say kiddush in the sukka (without saying leisheiv ba'sukka), even in the rain.
- Wash hands and say ha'motzi.
- Eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread in the sukka.
- Go inside the house and finish your meal inside.
Note You do not need to say birkat ha'mazon in the sukka. If the rain stops, go back outside, say leisheiv, eat at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) more of bread in the sukka, and finish your meal in the sukka.
Checking the Ring
The mesader kidushin then takes the ring and asks the groom "Is this your ring? If so, how did you acquire it?" It must have been acquired in accordance with Jewish law. He shows the ring to the witnesses and asks if it is worth at least a pruta. If they say yes, the groom takes the ring and says “Harei at mekudeshet li…” and places the ring on the bride's index finger of her primary hand. The witnesses must hear the groom say “Harei at mekudeshet li...” and must see him place the ring on her hand. The wife should not take the ring off of her index finger until after they leave the chuppa. The couple is now married!
Confirming the Witnesses
The mesader kidushin asks the witnesses if they are related to either the bride or groom or each other. He then asks the bride and groom if they want these and only these witnesses to be their witnesses.
The First Blessings
The mesader kidushin (organizer of the wedding ceremony) makes sure that all procedures are done properly. He says the blessing on the cup of wine and fulfills that requirement for both the bride and groom. He says the second blessing and fulfills it for the groom. In both cases, the bride and groom must have the intention that the mesader kidushin is saying those blessings on their behalf. The groom and bride drink some of the wine.
Wedding Customs: Drinking the Wine
The mesader kidushin does not drink the cup of wine but the bride and groom normally do.
Checking on Whether the Couple May Marry
The mesader kidushin (organizer of the wedding ceremony) should research whether the couple is permitted to marry. This should be done well in advance of the wedding date.
Jewish Wedding: Minimum Number of Men
The minimum number of men at the kidushin part of a wedding is two Jewish males, at least 13 years old (needed as witnesses), plus the groom.
Kiddush Club during Shloshim
A mourner during shloshim (or the rest of the mourner's year) may eat at a kiddush on Shabbat after shacharit if he is expected to be there (for example, if he is a regular member of a “Kiddush Club”) because you may not display mourning in public on Shabbat.
Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Custom not To Say
It is customary not to say kiddush levana:
However, you should do so if you do not expect to see the moon on any other night (due to weather or other factors), rather than miss the chance to say it that month. If you do say kiddush levana on Friday night or the after nightfall of a Jewish festival, say only the blessing, not the Psalms and other phrases that are normally said.
- During the Nine Days before and including Tish'a b'Av;
- On Friday night, and
- On the evening of a Jewish festival.
However, you should do so if you do not expect to see the moon on any other night (due to weather or other factors), rather than miss the chance to say it that month. If you do say kiddush levana on Friday night or the after nightfall of a Jewish festival, say only the blessing, not the Psalms and other phrases that are normally said.
Kiddush Standing or Sitting
Standing or sitting while drinking wine or other beverage for kiddush (or havdala) is a non-binding custom, not a halacha.
Kiddush Levana: Minimum Blessing
The minimum you may say of kiddush levana and fulfill the mitzva is the blessing. The psalms and other psukim are customary but are not required.