In the Torah portion we read how Yaakov was tricked into marrying Leah despite having been promised Rachel as a wife. When he confronted his uncle and father-in-law Lavan, he was told “מלא שבע זאת – Complete this week,” and you can have Rachel. The commentaries say that this “week” is referring to the seven days of feasting that customarily follow a wedding.[1] Since the Torah had not yet been given and since Lavan was not Jewish, the celebration was not done for the sake of the mitzvah but was simply the custom of important people at that time.[2] It was Moshe who enacted that we celebrate these days in a way that resembles that ancient tradition.[3]

“Where do we learn the idea of a seven days of feasting after a wedding? From

Yaakov who made a feast for seven days when he married Leah, as it says (in the

verse quoted above), “Complete this week.” The people of that place were kind

to Yaakov, and they all came to the party. G-d rewarded them for this mitzvah

in this world so they would not have merit in the World to Come. Several

generations later, he made Aram into a world power that went on to have many

military victories (see Kings II, 5:1).

We derive the seven days of feasting from Samson who feasted for seven days after marrying a (converted) Philistine woman, as the verse says (Judges 14:12), “Now Samson

said to them, ‘Let me ask you a riddle, if you can tell it to me within the seven days of feasting and you will guess it…” Some say that the reason Lavan insisted that Yaakov complete the seven days of feasting for Leah was so that he show publicly that he was

agreeable to marrying Leah.[4] The Jerusalem Talmud (Mo’ed Kattan, quoted above) says that Lavan wanted the feast for Leah completed before the wedding of Rachel because two joyous occasions may not be celebrated simultaneously.

According to another Midrash (Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah 23), even

while they were slaves in Egypt, the Jewish people would celebrated their

weddings with seven days of feasting . Their Egyptian captors respected this

and would give them seven days off from their work.

The rest of this article will focus on the meaning of the seven

blessings recited at a wedding and during the Sheva Brachot feasts.

Rabbeinu Bachaye (in Kad HaKemach chapter Chattan Biveit HaKnesset) writes that every wedding corresponds to the creation of the world

(since the continuity of the world depends on marriages and the subsequent

children that are born). The seven blessings of the Sheva Brachot therefore correspond to the seven days of creation. The blessing of HaGafen

on the wine corresponds to Shabbat as we say the blessing over wine at the

beginning of Shabbat (during Kiddush) and at the end of Shabbat (at Havdalah).[5]

According to the Midrash (Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer chapter 12). G-d

made 10 chuppot for Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. He made them out

of gold, pearls, and gems. The prophet Yechezkel alluded to these ten chuppot

when he wrote (28:13) “In Eden, the garden of G-d you were; every precious

stone was set in your covering; ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire, carbuncle, and crystal and gold.” The word “covering” refers to a chuppah

and the ten precious materials mentioned in the verse allude to the ten chuppot.

G-d acted as Chazzan and recited the blessings under the chuppah,

as the verse says, “And G-d blessed them, and… said… ‘Be fruitful and multiply

and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over

the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth.’” These

can be understood to be seven blessings: 1) Be fruitful 2) and multiply 3) and

fill the earth 4) and subdue it 5) and rule over the fish of the sea 6) and

over the fowl of the sky and 7) and over all the beasts that tread upon the

earth (Biur HaRadal). Our Sheva Brachot mirror these seven blessings.

Rabbi Avraham Chalpon of 18^th-century Tiberius writes (Chayei Avraham ot 351) that the seven sheva brachot blessings correspond to the seven blessings with which G-d blessed Avraham (Gen. 12:2 and 3). They are 1) “And I will make you into a great nation, 2) and I will bless you, 3) and I will make your name great, 4) and you shall be a blessing 5) And I will bless those who bless you, 6) and the one who curses you I will curse, and 7) and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.”

Every wedding mirrors the wedding of G-d and the Jewish people at

Mount Sinai. As such, just as at Mount Sinai G-d communicated with us using

seven “voices,” we too recite seven blessings at the chuppah.

The seven voices are enumerated in Tehillim, chapter 29. (See the commentaries

on that chapter who explain that it its referring to the Sinai revelation.)

They are: 1) The voice of the L-rd is upon the waters 2) The voice of the L-rd

is in strength 3) The voice of the L-rd is in beauty. 4) The voice of the L-rd

breaks the cedars 5) The voice of the L-rd splits with flames of fire 6) The

voice of the L-rd causes the desert to quake and 7) The voice of the L-rd will

frighten the hinds and strip the forests (Chayei Avraham ibid).

These seven blessings also allude to the seven years that Yaakov

worked in order to marry Rachel (ibid).

Kabbalisticly, the Kallah (bride) represents the Divine Attribute

of Malchut (Kingship). This attribute receives the Divine

blessings from the six Divine Attributes of Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod and Yesod (Kindness, Strength, Beauty, Victory, Splendor

and Foundation). It is therefore appropriate that when a man (who represents

the six attributes) marries a woman (who represents the seventh attribute), we

recite seven blessings (ibid in the name of Tziyuni al HaTorah by Rabbi

Menachem Tziyuni of 14^th-century Spira, Parshat Ki Tetzei).[6]

When to Bless on the Wine?

It is customary that when reciting the Sheva Brachot blessings

under the Chuppah, we say the blessing on the wine before the other blessings.

On the other hand, when reciting these blessings after the Grace after Meals

during the days of the wedding feasts, we recite the blessing on the wine after

the other blessings. Several reasons are given for this change:

Kallah

Under the chuppah we recite the blessing on the wine first as it is

a blessing more commonly recited (Tadir). However, when reciting the Grace after Meals, we purposefully delay the blessing until the end. The reason for this is to

emphasize that at this time we are not reciting the blessing of wine because of

the Grace after Meals (as some have the custom to do) but rather in honor of

the Chattan and Kallah (Beit Hillel on Even Ha’Ezer 62, cited in Bait Shmuel

62:2).

When reciting the blessings under the chuppah,

the actual wedding ceremony has not yet been completed (as the Yichud

[seclusion after the Chuppah] is part of that ceremony). As such, the blessing

on the wine is recited first since it is more common (Tadir).

On the other hand, during the seven days of feasting, the wedding has already

been completed. As such we follow the opinion of Bait Shammai who says that the

blessing on Shabbat should be recited before the blessing of wine during

Kiddush since Shabbat begins before we drink the wine. Although regarding

Kiddush we follow the opinion of Bait Hillel and recite the blessing on the

wine first, that is because according to Bait Hillel it is only due to the wine

that we are able to recite the Kiddush (see Brachot 52b.) Whereas regarding the

Sheva Brachot most opinions say that they may be recited

without wine (if necessary). As such, the blessings on the wedding should be

recited first (Sefer Hamakne by Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz of Frankfurt, Kuntres

Acharon on 62:1).

Logically the blessing on the wine should come first since

according to many authorities the wine is essential to the blessings and should

therefore precede them (see Bait Hillel’s opinion quoted above). As such, when

making the blessings under the chuppah, we recite the blessing on the wine first.

Although there is a time lapse between that blessing and the drinking of the

wine by the Chattan and Kallah, we are sure they will not speak in between (due

to the serious atmosphere under the Chuppah). At the time of the Grace after

Meals, however, we are concerned that were we to recite the blessing on the

wine before the other blessings, people might interrupt and speak before they

drink from the wine (six blessings later). This would render the blessing on

the wine to have been made in vain. We therefore change the order and recite

the blessing on the wine last (Siddur Derech Chayim by Rabbi Yaakov of Lisa,

Hilchot Eirusin VeNissu’in, Dinei Birkat HaMazon Beveit HaChattan).

May we soon merit to drink the wine over which King David will recite the Grace after Meals in the great Feast of the Messianic Era!

[1] Rashi based on Jerusalem Talmud, Mo’ed Kattan 1:7, Rashbam and Targum Yonatan

[2] Ramban Gen. 29:21

[3] Jerusalem Talmud Ketubot 1:1

[4] Be’er Mayim Chayim

[5] In a similar vein Rabbi Aryeh Frumer of Kozhiklov explained (Eretz Tzvi vol. 2, Derushim 6) that the reason G-d’s name may be erased to bring peace between a husband and wife (see Numbers 5:23) is that a peaceful home is the equivalent of writing out G-d’s name. [Since peace in the home is called Shalom Bayit and Shalom is a name of G-d, maintaining that peace is like writing G-d’s name.] This is the reason why G-d allows His name to be erased in order to maintain peace in a home as it is “worthwhile” seeing that this home will now “write” another name of G-d. As such, every wedding which establishes a peaceful home (with G-d’s help) is considered equal to the writing of G-d’s holy name. Our sages say that writing G-d’s name is equivalent to writing the Torah (see Rashi on Shabbat 28b D.H. Shin). According to the Zohar (introduction to Bereishit) one who reveals new Torah insights is tantamount to having created a new world. As such, it follows that a wedding (which is equivalent to writing the Torah) is also considered to be like the creation of a new world. The sages therefore established that we recite seven blessings at a wedding corresponding to the seven days of creation.

[6] Editor’s note, the explanation I found in the Tziyuni al HaTorah parshat Ki Tetzei was somewhat different.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!