Marriage

Aufruf
When our members or their children are about to wed, either here or elsewhere, they are invited up to the bimah during a Friday evening service preceding their wedding for special blessings. This is our communal way of celebrating with the happy couple.

A Wedding at CBE
All of our clergy officiate weddings, both in the synagogue and at other locations. Couples should contact the clergy directly to discuss premarital counseling and the ceremony. CBE clergy also share a commitment to the equality of LGBTQ+ couples, as well as welcome the opportunity to work with interfaith couples.

If you would like to plan a wedding here at CBE, please contact Kathy Golderman, our Executive Director, or call 518 436-9761 x225. She will be happy to talk with you about the possibilities.

Marriage Resources:

Jewish Wedding Practices: Surprising Origins and Reform Innovations:
Marriage is a keystone of Jewish life. The term for marriage, kiddushin, is derived from the Hebrew word for holiness. In Judaism, the marital union provides a way for us to experience holiness in our daily lives. According to our mystical tradition, we can only behold the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, when we are in loving partnership (Zohar vol. 3, “Aharei Mot”). 

Jewish Rituals for the Wedding Day
Learn about the rituals that are often practiced on the day of a Jewish wedding: fasting, badeken di kallah ("lowering the veil"), the wedding ceremony, sheva b’rachot ("seven blessings"), breaking the glass, and yichud (the couple's seclusion after the ceremony).