Jewish Orthodox Singles

Jewish Orthodox singles who are looking for their zivug, their match, will be looking forward with hope to their wedding day, whether they use an Orthodox Jewish dating site, Jewish singles vacations or a traditional matchmaker, a shadchan, to help them on their search.

Orthodox Judaism has many customs and traditions surrounding weddings. Jewish Orthodox singles may want to know about some of these traditions even as they are using a matchmaker or are dating Jewish online services. One important custom to know about is the bedecken that takes place during the wedding ceremony. The bedecken is the ceremony where the groom veils the bride in a Jewish wedding. Badecken is the Yiddish term for this ceremony, the Hebrew word is a hinuma.

The bedecken ceremony is often the first time that the bride and groom have seen each other for a week. Many have this custom of the two not seeing one another for this length of time.

Just before the wedding ceremony, which takes place under the chuppah, the groom, who will be accompanied by his father and Rabbi, and other close friends who sing and dance in front of him, covers the bride's face with a veil. The bride wears this veil until the end of the wedding ceremony.

After the bride's face is veiled, the fathers and grandfathers of the bride and groom approach and bless her. The groom's entourage then retreats from the room. The bride and groom go on with their chuppah preparations and everyone else continues to where it will take place.

The tradition of some Hasidim and those in old Jerusalem community is for the veil to be opaque so that she can neither see nor be seen.

Of course, Jewish Orthodox singles often enjoy knowing the sources of such traditions. Those using dating Jewish online services and Jewish singles vacations may not be told these types of details by those organizations, who busy themselves with simply making the match, leaving the couple and their families to take care of the wedding details.

The veil is a symbol of modesty and is based on the verse 24:65 in the book of Bereshit, that describes Rivkah and Yitzhak meeting. "and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself." The custom of a virgin bride wearing a veil is also found in the Talmud.

The practice of the groom uncovering the veil is based upon the story of where Yaakov married Leah because her face was veiled, when he had actually wanted to married Rachel and thought it was her under the veil. This account is also found in the book of Bereshit, chapter 29. This is why it is the groom who puts the veil on his bride, and no one else. In some communities, the two will recite verses from Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, to one another.

According to Orthodox Judaism, the veil not only symbolizes modesty but also that the groom is not only interested in the bride's external beauty, but rather in her inner beauty. The veiling also symbolizes the bride's commitment to reserve her beauty for her husband's eyes.

Jewish Orthodox singles should know about these time-tested and hauntingly beautiful traditions, whether they are using a traditional matchmaker, dating Jewish online services, Jewish singles vacations, cruises and events or other types of Orthodox Jewish dating sites to find their bashert, their predestined mate.

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