Friday Jewish Weddings: What You Need To Know

Jewish weddings are steeped in tradition and ritual, and choosing the right date is no exception. While Sundays are a popular choice, Fridays are generally avoided as the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat, begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. During Shabbat, work and travel are prohibited, which poses many problems for a wedding. However, in the past, Jewish weddings were regularly held on Fridays, with the ceremony taking place before sunset and the reception as a grand Shabbat meal afterwards.

Jewish weddings do not take place on Shabbat, which begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday

Jewish weddings do not take place on Shabbat, which is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest. Shabbat is observed from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. This is because, on Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions on activities designated as work, and a wedding is considered work. In addition, a new agreement may not be entered into on that day, and each opportunity for joy and celebration is to be observed individually.

In the past, Jewish weddings were sometimes held on Fridays, with the chupah ceremony taking place before sunset and the wedding reception beginning after nightfall. However, today, Friday night weddings pose too many problems to be feasible. No music, pictures, or videography would be allowed, and all guests would have to walk home.

While some Reform rabbis may officiate at weddings before Shabbat has ended, there will be more options if the ceremony is planned for after Shabbat. As a result, many Jewish weddings are held on Sundays. It is also a good idea to avoid scheduling weddings on Friday afternoons, when Jewish clergy are busy making Shabbat preparations for themselves, their families, and their congregations, and are therefore unlikely to be available to perform weddings.

Weddings are also prohibited on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot, and the first and last days of Sukkot

Jewish weddings are prohibited on certain days of the week and on certain holidays. Fridays and Saturdays are not considered appropriate days for a Jewish wedding. This is because the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, and work and travel are not permitted during this time. Weddings are also forbidden on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach (Passover), Shavuot, and the first and last days of Sukkot.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, a time of rejoicing and serious introspection, which lasts for ten days and ends with Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting and confession. Pesach is also known as Passover, a time of joy for Jewish people, which lasts for eight days outside of Israel and seven days within Israel. Shavuot is a two-day holiday in the Diaspora and a one-day holiday in Israel. Sukkot is a seven-day festival, also known as the Feast of the Tabernacles, during which Jews eat and sleep in tents to remember the years that the people of Israel spent in the desert.

While Jewish weddings are prohibited on these holidays, they may be held on Purim, the intermediate days of Sukkot, and during Hanukkah.

Tuesdays are considered doubly good days for Jewish weddings

Jewish weddings are not held on the Sabbath, which runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. This is because work and travel are not permitted on the Sabbath, and a new agreement may not be entered into on that day.

However, Tuesdays are considered an especially auspicious day for a Jewish wedding. This is because, in the account of the third day of creation, the phrase "and God saw that it was good" appears twice in the Torah. The Sages interpreted this to mean that Tuesday is a doubly good day.

Other auspicious days for Jewish weddings include Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Jewish month, and the first fifteen days of the Jewish (lunar) month, when the moon is waxing.

In Talmudic times, Sunday and Wednesday were also considered good days for a Jewish wedding. This was because the court met on Monday and Thursday, so any contention as to the virginity of the bride could be lodged immediately after the wedding night.

Sundays are a common day for Jewish weddings

In the past, Jewish weddings were regularly held on Fridays, with the chupah ceremony taking place before sunset, and the wedding reception starting after nightfall. However, today, Friday night weddings pose too many problems to be feasible. No music, pictures, or videography would be allowed, and all guests would have to walk home.

Jewish weddings also do not take place on major Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover, or during the Omer, a seven-week period of semi-mourning between Passover and Shavuot.

When choosing a wedding date, certain days are considered more auspicious than others. Tuesdays are considered "doubly good" because, in the story of Creation, God said that the third day (Tuesday) was good twice. The beginning of each Jewish month, or Rosh Chodesh, is also considered an auspicious time for a wedding, as is the Hebrew month of Kislev, when Hanukkah is celebrated.

Other considerations for choosing a wedding date include the availability of the rabbi or cantor, as their schedules fill up far in advance, and the convenience of guests, especially if they need to travel and return to work the next day.

Fridays are rarely chosen for Jewish weddings

In the past, Jewish weddings were held on Fridays, with the chupah ceremony taking place before sunset and the wedding reception—a grand Shabbat meal—starting after nightfall. However, today, Friday night weddings pose too many problems to be feasible. No music, photographs, or videography would be allowed, and all guests would have to walk home.

Jewish weddings are also not held on Shabbat, as work and travel are not permitted during this time. A new agreement cannot be entered into on this day, and each opportunity for joy and celebration is to be observed individually.

While some days are considered auspicious for Jewish weddings, such as Tuesdays, Sundays, and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are rarely chosen due to the restrictions of the Sabbath.

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