Breaking the Glass
Feel free to have a friend or family member read the blessings in Hebrew or step in to officiate this ceremony.
Select the option you prefer:
And now we will honor a Jewish tradition of breaking the glass. Please join me in saying Mazel Tov after _____________ gets to put his foot down for the first and the last time.
________________________________
Today’s ceremony will conclude with an interfaith version of the traditional ‘breaking of the glass” to demonstrate the breaking down of barriers between people of different cultures and faiths. After the glass is broken everyone yells "Mazel Tov," which means good luck.
________________________________
After I pronounce______and _______married we will have a Breaking of the Glass Ceremony. The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the implied prayer: "As this glass shatters, so may your marriage never break."
________________________________
The Breaking of the Glass Ceremony reminds us that love, like glass, is fragile and must be protected. The glass is broken to protect the marriage with an implied prayer: "May your marriage last as long as it would take to repair this glass." The shattering of the glass concludes the ceremony on a high note. Please join me in saying Mazel Tov
________________________________
The breaking glass has many meanings. It is said to frighten away evil spirits who might spoil this joyous occasion with their mischief. It also warns us that love, like glass, is fragile and must be protected. The promises made by the bride and groom, like the broken glass, are irrevocable. The breaking of the glass also serves as a reminder of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and all subsequent sufferings of the Jewish people. Even in a moment of such great joy, we are asked to remember that there is still pain and suffering in the world and that we have a responsibility to help relieve some of that suffering.
________________________________
In concluding our ceremony, as part of a great Jewish tradition, ________will break a glass, to remind _____ and _____ that like glass, life is fragile and you must treat your relationship with special care, for like glass, it is strong enough to hold your love, yet fragile enough to break. And when _____ shatters the glass, it is a cue for all of us present to make your joy felt-as a great wave of exultation, by shouting “Mazel Tov” or Congratulations.
___________________________________________
You can also have someone read a Hebrew Blessing over wine, drink the wine and then break the glass.
SEVEN BLESSING AND PRAYER OPTIONS
The Seven Blessings are part of the traditional Jewish marriage ceremony. These blessings are a way of wishing them well and expressing thought that they, themselves find significant. Seven is considered a mystical number representative of seven spheres of the souls and seven heavens.
_____________________________________will bestow these blessings on the marriage.
May your marriage enrich your lives.
May you work together to build a relationship of substance and quality.
May the honesty of your communication build a foundation of understanding, connection, and trust.
May you respect each other’s individual personality and philosophy, and give each other room to grow and fulfill each other’s dreams.
May your sense of humor and playful spirit continue to enliven your relationship.
May you understand that neither of you is perfect: you are both subject to human frailties: and may your love strengthen when you fall short of each other’s expectations.
May you be “best friends”, better together than either of you are apart.
Thank you ____________
_________________________________________
The seven benedictions are as follows:
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who hast created the fruit of the vine.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who has created all things for His glory.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe, creator of man.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who hast made man in his image, after his likeness, and hast prepared for him out of his very self, a perpetual fabric. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, creator of man. May she who was barren be exceedingly glad and rejoice when her children are united in her midst in joy.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makes Zion joyful through her children. O Lord, make these beloved companions greatly rejoice even as Thou didst rejoice at Thy creation in the Garden of Eden as of old.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makest bridegroom and bride to rejoice. Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voice of the bridegrooms from the canopies, and of youths from their feasts of song.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord who makest the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride.
___________________________________
The Seven Blessings From "The New Jewish Wedding" By Anita Diamant
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, expressing our appreciation for this wine, symbol and aid of our rejoicing.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, realizing that each separate moment and every distinct object points to and shares in this oneness.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, recognizing and appreciating the blessing of being human.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, realizing the special gift of awareness that permits us to perceive this unity and the wonder we experience as a man and a woman joined to live together.
May rejoicing resound throughout the world as the homeless are given homes, persecution and oppression cease, and all people learn to live in peace with each other and in harmony with their environment.
From the Divine, source of all energy, we call forth an abundance of love to envelop this couple. May they be for each other lovers and friends, and may their love partake of the same innocence, purity, and sense of discovery that we imagine the first couple to have experienced.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, and we highlight today joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, delight and cheer, love and harmony, peace and companionship. May we all witness the day when the dominant sounds through the world will be these sounds of happiness, the voices of lovers, the sounds of feasting and singing.
Praised is love; blessed be this marriage. May the bride and bridegroom rejoice together.
__________________________________________
A Hebrew Wedding Prayer
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe,
who hath created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride,
mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight,
love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.
May there soon be heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem,
the voice of joy and gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride,
the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from the wedding canopy,
and of youths from their feasts of song.
Blessed art thou, O Lord,
who gives the Bridegroom joy in his bride.
__________________________________________
Reading from the Talmut: (Ketubot 8)
Blessed art though, O Lord, King of the Universe, who created mirth and joy, bridegroom and bride, gladness, jubilation, dancing, and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Quickly, O Lord our God, may the sound of mirth and joy be heard in the streets of Judah and Jerusalem, the voice of bridegroom and bride, jubilant voices of bridegrooms from their canopies and youths from the feasts of song. Blessed art though, O Lord, who makes the bridegroom rejoice with the bride.
Select the option you prefer:
And now we will honor a Jewish tradition of breaking the glass. Please join me in saying Mazel Tov after _____________ gets to put his foot down for the first and the last time.
________________________________
Today’s ceremony will conclude with an interfaith version of the traditional ‘breaking of the glass” to demonstrate the breaking down of barriers between people of different cultures and faiths. After the glass is broken everyone yells "Mazel Tov," which means good luck.
________________________________
After I pronounce______and _______married we will have a Breaking of the Glass Ceremony. The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the implied prayer: "As this glass shatters, so may your marriage never break."
________________________________
The Breaking of the Glass Ceremony reminds us that love, like glass, is fragile and must be protected. The glass is broken to protect the marriage with an implied prayer: "May your marriage last as long as it would take to repair this glass." The shattering of the glass concludes the ceremony on a high note. Please join me in saying Mazel Tov
________________________________
The breaking glass has many meanings. It is said to frighten away evil spirits who might spoil this joyous occasion with their mischief. It also warns us that love, like glass, is fragile and must be protected. The promises made by the bride and groom, like the broken glass, are irrevocable. The breaking of the glass also serves as a reminder of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and all subsequent sufferings of the Jewish people. Even in a moment of such great joy, we are asked to remember that there is still pain and suffering in the world and that we have a responsibility to help relieve some of that suffering.
________________________________
In concluding our ceremony, as part of a great Jewish tradition, ________will break a glass, to remind _____ and _____ that like glass, life is fragile and you must treat your relationship with special care, for like glass, it is strong enough to hold your love, yet fragile enough to break. And when _____ shatters the glass, it is a cue for all of us present to make your joy felt-as a great wave of exultation, by shouting “Mazel Tov” or Congratulations.
___________________________________________
You can also have someone read a Hebrew Blessing over wine, drink the wine and then break the glass.
SEVEN BLESSING AND PRAYER OPTIONS
The Seven Blessings are part of the traditional Jewish marriage ceremony. These blessings are a way of wishing them well and expressing thought that they, themselves find significant. Seven is considered a mystical number representative of seven spheres of the souls and seven heavens.
_____________________________________will bestow these blessings on the marriage.
May your marriage enrich your lives.
May you work together to build a relationship of substance and quality.
May the honesty of your communication build a foundation of understanding, connection, and trust.
May you respect each other’s individual personality and philosophy, and give each other room to grow and fulfill each other’s dreams.
May your sense of humor and playful spirit continue to enliven your relationship.
May you understand that neither of you is perfect: you are both subject to human frailties: and may your love strengthen when you fall short of each other’s expectations.
May you be “best friends”, better together than either of you are apart.
Thank you ____________
_________________________________________
The seven benedictions are as follows:
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who hast created the fruit of the vine.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who has created all things for His glory.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe, creator of man.
Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe who hast made man in his image, after his likeness, and hast prepared for him out of his very self, a perpetual fabric. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, creator of man. May she who was barren be exceedingly glad and rejoice when her children are united in her midst in joy.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makes Zion joyful through her children. O Lord, make these beloved companions greatly rejoice even as Thou didst rejoice at Thy creation in the Garden of Eden as of old.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makest bridegroom and bride to rejoice. Blessed art Thou, O lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voice of the bridegrooms from the canopies, and of youths from their feasts of song.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord who makest the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride.
___________________________________
The Seven Blessings From "The New Jewish Wedding" By Anita Diamant
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, expressing our appreciation for this wine, symbol and aid of our rejoicing.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, realizing that each separate moment and every distinct object points to and shares in this oneness.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, recognizing and appreciating the blessing of being human.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, realizing the special gift of awareness that permits us to perceive this unity and the wonder we experience as a man and a woman joined to live together.
May rejoicing resound throughout the world as the homeless are given homes, persecution and oppression cease, and all people learn to live in peace with each other and in harmony with their environment.
From the Divine, source of all energy, we call forth an abundance of love to envelop this couple. May they be for each other lovers and friends, and may their love partake of the same innocence, purity, and sense of discovery that we imagine the first couple to have experienced.
We acknowledge the Unity of all within the sovereignty of God, and we highlight today joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, delight and cheer, love and harmony, peace and companionship. May we all witness the day when the dominant sounds through the world will be these sounds of happiness, the voices of lovers, the sounds of feasting and singing.
Praised is love; blessed be this marriage. May the bride and bridegroom rejoice together.
__________________________________________
A Hebrew Wedding Prayer
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe,
who hath created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride,
mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight,
love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.
May there soon be heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem,
the voice of joy and gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride,
the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from the wedding canopy,
and of youths from their feasts of song.
Blessed art thou, O Lord,
who gives the Bridegroom joy in his bride.
__________________________________________
Reading from the Talmut: (Ketubot 8)
Blessed art though, O Lord, King of the Universe, who created mirth and joy, bridegroom and bride, gladness, jubilation, dancing, and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Quickly, O Lord our God, may the sound of mirth and joy be heard in the streets of Judah and Jerusalem, the voice of bridegroom and bride, jubilant voices of bridegrooms from their canopies and youths from the feasts of song. Blessed art though, O Lord, who makes the bridegroom rejoice with the bride.