Marriage & Wedding Information

Jewish Wedding Rings - Traditions and Customs and How to Buy Smart


In a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, Jewish wedding rings play a very important role. In Jewish law, a verbal declaration is not enough to be married.

According to Jewish law, a formal, physical consecration must be made. Usually this is done with the giving of a Jewish wedding ring, however in ancient times, it was merely something of value-with the minimum value of what is now a penny.

Don't worry-I know you won't be that cheap! :)The ring must be of solid uninterupted gold with no holes breaking the circle. The continuity of the rings represents the hope for an everlasting marriage.

Requirements for Jewish Wedding Rings

The ring must be the bridegroom's property at the time of the Jewish wedding ceremony. While only one Jewish wedding ring is required by Jewish law, (given to the bride), many couples exchange rings.

Orthodox Rabbis refuse to perform a double ring ceremony, because they feel it invalidates the idea of the groom acquiring the bride as a wife in exchange of something valuable.

A Reform or Conservative denominational Rabbi may incorporate a ring exchange between bride and groom with little problem usually.

What Hebrew Wedding Rings are made of?

Most Jewish wedding rings are made of simple solid gold bands, although recently embellishment with Hebrew letters on the band has become quite popular.

Many rings can even now be fully customized with many different Hebrew phrases, or even the couple's names either inscribed or raised inside the band.

How To Buy a Jewish Wedding Ring

Buying a Jewish Wedding Ring can often be a confusing and frustrating adventure. There are so many Jewish jewelry stores, and with the advent of the internet, there are even more than ever before.

However, the internet has proven to be a big advantage for buyers. Low overhead and large online demand have driven prices for expensive Jewish Wedding Rings that used to go for $800-1000 down into the $320-600 range, depending on 14k or 18 gold, ring size, etc.

Look for merchants with these types of price ranges. Anything cheaper will be a ring of inferior quality. Anything higher is the seller making huge profits - off of potential buyers.

Another advantage of the online retailers is customization and options. Some Jewish wedding ring retailers can completely customize any engraving, either with hebrew phrases or the bride and groom's names. Look for websites who include customization in the price, rather than upsell the customization.

A Jewish Wedding Ring goes on WHICH finger?

The ring ceremony consists of the groom placing the ring on the bride's right index finger. Afterwards, most women move it to the customary "ring finger" of the left hand.

The reason for this Jewish wedding tradition goes back to the time of the Talmud and the differences in beliefs at that time about which finger is closer or more direct to the heart! Christianity taught the ring finger; Judaism taught the index finger.

When the Jewish Wedding Ring is Given?

In most ceremonies, the bridegroom repeats a Hebrew vow after the Rabbi, with the giving of the ring. The bridegroom would declare, "Behold, thou art consecrated to me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel."

In hebrew, this phrase is Hare at mekudeshet li betaba' at zo k'dat Moshe v' Yisrael.

With a little practice, you can easily learn to roll this phrase off of your tongue in no time at all. If you can't speak Hebrew, don't worry! On our website, we have a page where you can hear this phrase being said, right through your computer.

This statement that husband and wife are holy to each other. It is as if they were saying, "As Shabbat is to Jewish time and as Jerusalem is to Jewish space, you will be to me."

With this buyer's guide to Jewish Wedding rings and their traditions, you can be confident of making a good choice in choosing your rings for your special wedding day.

About the Author:
Josh Singer and Shira Frimer are authors and owners of http://www.about-jewish-weddings.com containing completely FREE articles on everything from A-Z you should know about Jewish Weddings and Jewish Wedding traditions.

They also offer beautiful, completely customizable Jewish Wedding Rings, hand-painted custom Ketubahs (Jewish Marriage Contract), as well as hand-painted silk Jewish Wedding Chuppahs.

Visit their website and receive "101 ways to save on your Wedding Costs" - a $69.00 value - absolutely free, no strings attached.

© 2005 Josh Singer and Shira Frimer. This article may be republished, as long as it remains unchanged, carries this copyright and reprint notice, and has a live link to our site.


MORE RESOURCES:

Why Ruin Their Wedding Day?
ireport - 19 hours ago
On December 12, 2008 Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist will marry his fiancee, of nine months, New Yorker, Carole Crist. The ceremony will take place at ...


Speidi’s wedding not legal?
That Happened!, New York - Nov 27, 2008
New York - Shortly after the announcement of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt’s secret wedding in Mexico comes word that their marriage may not be legal, ...


The Associated Press

Is reality TV's most public couple really married?
The Associated Press - Nov 26, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and ...


How Getting Married Made Me An Activist
Newsweek - Nov 15, 2008
This NEWSWEEK editor's wedding has put him in the middle of the culture wars. Now, as he and his spouse wait to see if their marriage is valid, ...


Blood gift at wedding
Calcutta Telegraph, India - Nov 24, 2008
Ahmedabad, Nov. 24: Krishna Patel wanted a gift for her wedding that her guests just couldn’t refuse — a few drops of their blood. ...


Wedding season is back with a bang in Capital
Times of India, India - Nov 9, 2008
NEW DELHI: Wintry Delhi days may slow down much of the city, but for the effusive marriage season it is time to stir again. Quite literally, weddings wake ...


The 5 W's of getting your wedding license
New York Daily News, NY - Nov 9, 2008
BY ANNA T. HIRSH White dresses, colorful bridesmaids, fondant-covered cakes and cover bands – these delightful details might be the building blocks of a ...


Prince Charles' wedding might be 'illegal'
Expressindia.com, India - Nov 9, 2008
London, November 10: The legality of Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles has come into question after constitutional experts revealed that ...


Picture not so perfect
Indian Express, India - Nov 27, 2008
... will have theatre lovers digging deep into several layers while exploring various facets of marriage. Wedding Album, the first-ever contemporary play ...


Weddings and business: A marriage of convenience
BusinessWorld Online, Philippines - Nov 27, 2008
Just as weddings are a beginning of a lifelong marriage, wedding suppliers are hopeful that the current business vigor paves the way for a truly sustainable ...

Marriage-Wedding - Google News

home | site map
© 2006