Sheva Brachot (Part 2)
A husband and wife are one soul, separated only through their descent to this world. When they are married, they are reunited again.
Zohar HaKadosh
The Jerusalem Talmud (Ketubot 1:1) teaches that the custom of extending the wedding celebrations for seven days (parenthetically: and the custom for mourners to sit Shivah for seven days) was instituted by Moshe Rabbeinu.
Some, however, suggest that the seven days of celebration date all the way back to the time of Ya’akov Avinu. The Torah describes how Ya’akov Avinu, on arriving in Charan, was intent on marrying his cousin Rachel. Lavan, however, who was Ya’akov Avinu’s uncle and father-in-law to-be, wanted Yaakov first to marry Leah, Rachel’s older sister. At the wedding Lavan surreptitiously substituted Leah for Rachel, and Ya’akov realized the deception only the following day. When Yaakov confronted Lavan, the new father-in-law responded with self-righteous indignation, claiming that in his community it was unacceptable for a younger sister to marry before the older sister. He then added that he would “graciously” allow Ya’akov to marry Rachel after the week’s celebrations for the wedding to Leah were over (Bereshit 29:22-27 with Rashi). Some cite this as proof that it was the norm for wedding celebrations to last for a week even in the days of Yaakov Avinu.
And throughout these seven days of celebration, at each festive meal that the Chattan and Kallah attend, the same Sheva [seven]Brachot recited under the chuppah are recited again, at the end of Birkat HaMazon. The only difference is the order: Under the chuppah the blessing over the wine is the first blessing recite; thereafter, at the end of Birkat HaMazon, the blessing over the wine is the last blessing recited.
In any case, the custom to recite Sheva Brachot at the wedding and during the week following it dates back at least to the times of the Talmud.
So foundational is the establishment of a new Jewish home that, according to Rabbeinu Bachye, it is like the creation of the world. Just as the world was created in purity and sanctity over seven days, so too should the newly established home be founded on purity and sanctity; and that -- writes Rabbeinu Bachaye -- is why the wedding celebration lasts for seven days, to mirror the Seven Days of Creation. Additionally, as our Sages teach that Hashem brought the world into existence with ten statements, so too does the final blessing under the chuppah comprise ten corresponding expressions of joy.
The Jewish home is the “secret” of our eternity: As we stood at Har Sinai to receive the Torah from Hashem, we were privy to the most exalted and intensely spiritual encounter ever experienced. And, as it drew to a close, Hashem instructs Moshe Rabbeinu to tell the Jewish People to return to their tents (Devarim 5:27). In his characteristically sharp style, the Kotzker Rebbe explains that Hashem is telling the Jewish Nation to go back to their dwellings and live the purity and the sanctity of Har Sinai in their tents! Because there is nothing more consequential to Jewish continuity than the Jewish home.
To be continued…
