SHALOM Alechem! Weddings are indeed celebration of love and the unity of two inlove people together, legally in the eyes of the state and of Adonai our Elohim. But for soon-to-be-wedded partners Genesis Emmanuel Nemenzo Gonzales and Faith Dalumpines Meñoza, weddings are more than just a celebration of love.
Both coming from Jewish families and a believer of Jewish traditions, Faith and Genesis Emmanuel are having their Orthodox Jewish wedding today, Tishrei 24, 5779 (October 9, 2018) at The View. Being Jews living in the Philippines, they have done deep research and recognize that the origin of Philippine bloodline is that of the Israeli Jews. This is before the Spaniards came to the Islands of Visayas and even before the Muslims came to the land of Mindanao.
Genesis Emmanuel said, through their Jewish Orthodox wedding, they not only unite as husband and wife, they also acknowledge where they really come from. The wedding will serve as an example to the future generations as well. Just like a typical Orthodox Jewish wedding, Faith and Genesis Emmanuel made sure they would not see each other starting last October 2, a week before the wedding. There was also a 24-hour fasting for the both of them before the wedding starts. The fasting will involve their individual reflection on past mistakes and of their life in general.
The couple also scheduled their wedding on the late afternoon when the sun is about to set. The groom will wear the Kittel during the wedding ceremony. The Kittel is white to represent the purity in which the Jews hope to achieve. The couple will be wedded under a Chuppah or a canopy which will symbolize the home that they are going to build together. Along with them, the Torah, Shofar, and Menorah will be displayed under the Chuppah. Also, a tradition called Hakaphot will also be done wherein the bride will encircle the groom seven times, this symbolizing the bond that binds them together. The wedding ceremony starts with the Badeken. The groom places the veil over the bride's face as a remembrance to what happened before in history as written in the Torah when Rebecca was ready to leave her family to marry Isaac. The Menorah is lit and the Shofar is sounded by then.
During the Mitzvah, or the fulfillment of the marriage, the officiant will give the Torah Talk. This is where the connection of the original Mitzvah of the marriage with the people of Israel and Moshe to HaShem (the Creator) will be discussed in which the people of Israel is bounded and loyal to HaShem ALONE and at the same time HaShem is bounded and loyal to ALL of the people of Israel. In the same way, the officiant of the wedding will also talk of the Jewish history of the people living in the Philippines as well as the origin of the Visaya language which is the Hebrew language. Through this, the Jewish and the other people attending the wedding will really be reminded with the glimpses of their ancestors’ mother-tongue education and historic past.
Aside from this, the parents-in-law will also be given their gifts by the newly-weds as a gratitude of taking great care of their children and allowing the groom and the bride be united. A Tenaim, or agreement, will also be read by the groom and the bride. This document includes what they would do to each other’s family in the future. An act of giving a gift called Kinyan which commonly use a Kippah or Yarmulke from the groom will be given to the bride. The practice of sharing D’var Torah is part of the fabric of Jewish life. The Jewish weddings always have D’var Torah given by the Groom himself. The mothers of the bride will then break a plate to signify that whatever they bind cannot be reversed again. The wedding ring for an Orthodox Jewish wedding is only worn by the bride, given to her by the groom. The ring is supposed to be a simple plain band to signify their life cycle.
Their Ketubah, or their vow to each other, will be framed in their house. A Jewish marriage creates a link between all the past generations and all the future generations. The couple declares that their marriage has a higher goal than satisfying their own needs and desires thru the Sheva Brachot (seven blessings) which draw divine blessings for the duration of the couple's married life which commence with a blessing over a cup of wine. The groom, on the other hand, will break a glass cup by stepping on it hard. This gesture is to signify the remembrance of the destruction of the temple of Israel and the symbol for the waiting of the coming of the Jewish Messiah who will restore everything as it is originally designed by Adonai our Elohim. After all the parts of the ceremony have been done, the newly-wed couple goes to a room called Yichud where they both exchange their gifts and take a rest.
Their wedding is also filled with dances, specifically the lively Jewish dance called Hora. Unlike other weddings, prayer for the food during a Jewish Orthodox wedding should be done before eating (Hamotzi Lechem) and after eating (Birkat Hamazon). The Jewish wedding of Genesis Emmanuel and Faith is completed with L’chaim, which translates in English meaning “to life”, and has been the traditional wish Jews share when raising their glass cups in celebration for at least thousands of years.
As Genesis Emmanuel and Faith unite in love and faith for HaShem, their friends from YHWH Worshippers, Inc., Kosher Davao, Meñoza Garden, Ating’s Fried Chicken, Ahuvi Fashion, and Ifandthen Studio wish them nothing but the best for the rest of their married years. Baruch HaShem!