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How to Experience the Spiritual Side of a Jewish Wedding (when it so often gets lost in the madness of putting the wedding together)

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This is a guest post by Micaela Ezra (Micaela on her wedding day above)

The days leading up to my wedding were some of the most beautiful yet stressful of my life. One thing was certain – the experience of the ceremony was as essential to me as the reception, and I wanted the guests to feel something special.

Identifying this early on, was the lifeboat that kept me in the right place when things went array (like a freak hurricane in the California desert on the day of an outdoor wedding type of chaos).

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Truth, love and all things eternal

There is something otherworldly that happens on a wedding day. We are moved to tears more easily, we get goosebumps, there is a surge of joy, of optimism and adrenalin for everyone.

I believe it’s because we are tapping into an absolute truth – the power of LOVE – and because through that truth we are connecting to a realm beyond the physical world. A realm which is eternal.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

5 Ways to Incorporate Jewish spirituality into your wedding and home – with Micaela Ezra, founder of AHYIN

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This Monday July 2, we are going live with the incredible Micaela Ezra, founder of AHYIN, to talk about  how to incorporate Jewish spirituality into your wedding and home.

As brides, we spend so much time thinking about the aesthetics and logistics of our big days, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the spiritual element of your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding — and of the home you’re building together.

That’s why I’m SO thrilled to be going live with NYC-based Micaela Ezra, the powerhouse designer behind AHYIN, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous line of contemporary Judaica that we on Team STG are absolutely OBSESSED with.

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You’ll learn all about:

– How to incorporate spirituality in the lead up to your wedding

– How you might want your wedding to “feel” as opposed to material elements

– What spiritual Jewish path you might want to embark on with your partner

and so much more!

There’ll also be an exclusive gift from Micaela for everyone who watches… you won’t want to miss this!

We welcome any questions you may be – either comment live during the broadcast, or you submit a question in advance by emailing karen@smashingtheglass.com

ahyin-shabbat-table

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The Jewish Wedding and Breaking the Glass. Why?

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Breaking the glass `
Image:  Dave & Charlotte

Nothing says “Jewish wedding” more than the sound of the smashing of the glass, so it’s the natural joyous title for my  Jewish wedding blog but why is breaking the glass such an important ritual of the Jewish wedding ceremony?

First and foremost it is the official signal to cheer, dance, shout “Mazal Tov!” and start partying!  But there are various other explanations depending on whom you ask. Some of them are that it:

1. is a representation of the fragility of human relationships; and a reminder that marriage will change your life (hopefully for the good) forever.
2. is a superstition and the loud noise is supposed to drive away evil spirits.
3. is a break with the past: the marriage is to last as long as the glass remains broken, ie. forever.
4. symbolises the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago.
5. symbolises a  hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glass, or that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.

And so it goes on.  And as with many symbolic acts in Judaism, you can see that there are a host of reasons available to explain why we break the glass at a Jewish wedding. Some Jewish men may also joke that this is the last time the groom gets to ‘put his foot down’!
 Smashing The Glass

Image:  Hatunot Blog  /  Alexey Kudrik

CHOOSE THE INTERPRETATION THAT IS MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU

Whatever reason resonates with you best, feel free to ask your rabbi or officiant to mention, just before the breaking of the glass, an interpretation that is the most meaningful for you.

And on the subject of breaking the glass, there are all sorts of alternative variations that you can make eg. why not both break the glass together with one swift smash in unison?  Be creative and choose the interpretation of the breaking the glass that means the most to you as a couple and it will make that element of your ceremony more momentous.
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Image:  Hatunot Blog  /  Dima Vazinovich

WEDDING SHARD MEZUZAH KEEPSAKE

Once the glass-smashing has been done and you are man and wife, I  think it’s a beautiful idea to create a mezuzah keepsake out of the smashed glass from your wedding ceremony. There are quite a few crafts-y people on Etsy who will create one for you from your shards of glass such as the one below from  Enid Traisman

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