Orthodox Jewish Dating

From Orthodox Jewish dating customs to Jewish wedding customs, there are many traditions that have been in place in the Orthodox Jewish religion for centuries.

Singles seeking out their beshert, their soulmate, may use a traditional shidduch system, which involves a personalized matchmaker who will delve into the background of each of the Orthodox Jewish singles, to Jewish singles web sites, trips and events.

Either system one in the Orthodox Jewish dating world wishes to use, once they come to the place of their happy engagement, the man and woman who will soon be joined as one may want to know some of the traditions that have to do with their upcoming day.

One important custom is the ufruf, which is Yiddish for "calling up." The Ufruf refers to the groom being called up for an aliyah, recitation of a blessing over the Torah, in the synagogue. In the Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewish tradition, the ufruf ceremony takes place on the Shabbat before the wedding. In Sephardi and Mizrachi traditions, the ufruf is called the Shabbat Chattan, which means the groom's Shabbat. The Shabbat Chattan typically takes place on the Shabbat after the wedding.

After the Torah reading, the members of the congregation sing songs and to throw soft candies, raisins and nuts at the groom as an expression of the community's wishes for a sweet start for the new life the bride and groom will soon begin together. There are also those who say this is a reference to the verse in Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs, "I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see if the vine had blossomed, to see if the pomegranates were in bloom."

In many Ashkenazi Orthodox communities, the bride does not attend the aufruf because of the custom for the bride and groom not to see one another for a week before the wedding.

HISTORY OF THE URFUF

It is thought that ceremony evolved from an practice in the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem. The Talmud states that, King Solomon built a special gate in the Temple that grooms would go through on the Sabbath to be greeted by family and friends.

Orthodox Jewish dating comes with many Jewish dating customs. There are many, many Jewish singles web sites where sincere singles are trying their best to find their beshert. This idea of everyone having a beshert comes from the Talmud, which states that "Forty days before the creation of a child, a Heavenly Voice issues forth and proclaims the daughter of So-and-So is intended for So-and-So," implying that the person one will marry is a settled matter, even before they are born. Orthodox Jewish dating singles using Jewish singles web sites or traditional matchmaters should remember this tidbit and know that there is always hope. All of the single Jewish men who are searching for their soul mate will one day have an ufruf to look forward to, if this is a part of their family's tradition.

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