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Sheva Brachot (Hebrew: שבע ברכות; literally, "the seven blessings"), also known as birkot nissuin (Hebrew: ברכות נישואין; literally, "the wedding blessings") in Halakha, are blessings that have historically been recited during the wedding of a Jewish couple. There are two stages to a Jewish wedding: betrothal (erusin) and establishing the full marriage (nissuin). Historically, there was a year between the two events, but the two are combined during contemporary Jewish wedding ceremonies. Although the Sheva Brachot are recorded and recited as a harmonious unit, the blessings are actually a mosaic of Biblical origination. It is uncertain who composed the benedictions in the form recorded in the Talmud, but the blessings likely originated centuries before their inclusion in tractate Ketubot.

Occasion

In the seventh century, it was traditional for the blessings to be said at the groom's house, and at the house where the bride had spent the night previous to the marriage; this is still the tradition among Jews in some parts of Asia, but in most regions the wedding blessings are now recited towards the end of the formal marriage ceremony, under the chuppah.

These blessing are also recited as part of the week-long festivities celebrating the wedding; in most communities these festive meals occur during the week after the wedding, but among the Mountain Jews they occur during the week before it. Under the chuppah the blessing over wine comes first; at the meal table it comes last, after the Grace After Meals. If both the bride and the groom were previously married the post wedding celebrations are limited to three days, not seven. In such a case, the blessings are recited only after the very first festive meal, which should take place right after the wedding.

In Orthodox Judaism, the first six of the blessings are said only if a religiously valid quorum is present. On weekdays their recitation also requires the presence of at least one person who was not present for any of the previous Sheva Brachot of the couple. At the two main meals on Shabbat (but not at Seuda Shelishit) there is no need for a new guest, since the Shabbat itself is considered a new guest. New guests are referred to as new faces (Hebrew: פנים חדשות).

Old Yemenite Jewish custom

The old Yemenite Jewish custom regarding the Sheva Brachot is recorded in Rabbi Yihya Saleh's (Maharitz) Responsa. The custom that was prevalent in Sana'a before the Exile of Mawza was to say the Sheva Brachot for the bridegroom and bride on a Friday morning, following the couple's wedding the day before, even though she had not slept in the house of her newly wedded husband. In Yemenite custom, the bride was brought to her husband's house only on the following day of their wedding. On Friday (Sabbath eve) they would pitch a large tent within a garden called al-Jowzah, replete with pillows and cushions, and there, on the next day (Sabbath afternoon), they would repeat the seven benedictions for the bridegroom and bride, followed by prayer inside the tent, before they were dismissed to eat of their third Sabbath meal, at which time some accompanied the bridegroom to his own house to eat with him there. The significance of this practice, according to Maharitz, was that they made the seven blessings even when not actually eating in that place, a practice which differs from today's custom.

Performance

It is a common custom for these blessings to be pronounced by a Hazzan or Rabbi, if they presided over the marriage, or otherwise for pronunciation of the blessings to be divided among honoured guests. Sometimes, the blessings are sung by the wedding guests en-masse.

The blessings are usually said over a cup of wine. If multiple people say the blessings, the cup is passed to the person pronouncing each blessing. In many traditions, when a person pronounces the blessing, they and/or the groom drinks from the cup, either after each blessing, or just after all seven.

The wording

The text for Sheva B'rachot varies between Sephardic and Azhkenazic Jews, but may even vary from community to community. The standardized Ashkenazic is below, with an Egyptian Sephardic textual variant being inserted in parentheses ().

See also

• Jewish view of marriage
• List of Jewish prayers and blessings

References

1. Miller, Stuart (May 19, 2023). "Celebrating Marriage in Ancient Israel and the Origins of Sheva Berakhot". TheTorah. Project TABS. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
2. Rabbi Daniel Gordis. "Nissuin: The Second of the Two Ceremonies". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
3. "נישואין - חתונה" (in Hebrew). מרכז לטכנולוגיה חינוכית. Retrieved 20 June 2019. טקס החתונה בימינו מאחד שני שלבים שהיו בעבר נפרדים - אירוסין ונישואין
4. Ketubot 7b-8a
5. Miller, Stuart (2017). "Why Sheva Berakhot? – From the Inclusion of "New Faces" to an "Act of Lovingkindness" – or Vice Versa?". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought. 50 (3). Rabbinical Council of America: 8–34. JSTOR 26879510.
6. ^  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "marriage ceremonies". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
7. Joseph Judah Chorny, Sefer HaMassa'ot, 1884 (published posthumously)
8. Abraham Danzig, Chayei Adam (Wisdom of Man) 129:4
9. Abraham Danzig, Chayei Adam (Wisdom of Man) 129:3
10. Abraham Danzig, Chayei Adam (Wisdom of Man) 129:6
11. Yihya Saleh, Questions & Responsa Pe'ulath Ṣadiq, vol. III, responsum # 252, Jerusalem 1979, p. 153 (Hebrew)

External links

• Why Get Married - A Lesson in Seven Blessings by Mois Navon
• Sheva Brachot Guide
• Cantorial Performance of the Brachot

v t e Marital life in Judaism
Jewish wedding	Chuppah Erusin Jewish views on marriage Jewish wedding Ketubah Prenuptial Sheva Brachot Shidduch Yichud
Prohibitions and Halakhot	Cunnilingus in Halacha Fellatio in Halacha Forbidden relationships in Judaism Jewish views on incest Negiah Prohibition of extracting semen in vain (Judaism) Rabbi Zeira's stringency Head covering for married women Tzniut Yichud You shall not commit adultery
Women forbidden to their husbands	Childbirth Dam betulim Niddah
Purity of a woman to her husband	Hefsek taharah Mikveh Tvilah
Jewish divorce	Agunah Get Heter meah rabbanim

• Jewish marital law
• Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
• Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings