Weddings, When Not to Marry

Weddings, When Not to Marry - Picking the Right Date when Planning a Jewish Wedding

Weddings, When Not to Marry is vital information when picking the right date to plan this special day.

So....The Question: When is a Jewish marriage ceremony and reception not permissible on certain days throughout the Hebrew Calendar year?

Use the guide below for the answer. To find the secular date and month, you will need to refer to a Jewish calendar. Matching up the Hebrew day with the Hebrew month will give you the secular day and month.

Jewish Weddings are allowed on Rosh Chodesh, the new moon, and the first day of the new Hebrew month.

Important Note: Always have a few dates picked out and check with the rabbi who will be officiating your Jewish marriage ceremony. Each rabbi has his or her own observances, commitments and obligations.

Shabbat
Every Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown. Check a Hebrew Calendar for Shabbat Candle Lighting times in your location.
Reason: Jewish law prohibits combining a holy day with the joy and celebration of betrothal. They are to be observed individually.

Hebrew Date: 17th
Hebrew Month: Tammuz
Reason: Temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av, but in each case the enemy army (the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the Romans in 70 CE) had already been inflicting suffering for many days before that. Most reform rabbis do not observe the 17th of Tammuz.

Hebrew Dates: 1st - 8th
Hebrew Month: Av
Reason: The 9 days leading up to Tisha B�Av
Exception: small private Rabbi Study ceremonies

Hebrew Date: 9th
Hebrew Month: Av
Holiday: Tisha B�Av
Reason: Also known as the �Black Fast� � incidents in Jewish History took place on either Erev or the day of Tish B�Av.
* Both temples were destroyed.
* Millions of Jews were killed and those that lived were forced to leave the land of Israel and forbidden to return
* In 1492, the Spanish Inquisition took place with the expulsion of Jews from Spain on Tisha B'Av.
* 1914, World War I started on Erev Tisha B�Av. Germany and Russia was at war which resulted in Germany creating the Holocaust

National Days of Mourning (also known as Yizkor)

Hebrew Date: 10th
Hebrew Month: Tishrei
Holiday: Yom Kippur

Hebrew Date: 22nd
Hebrew Month: Tishrei
Holiday: Shemni Atzeret

Hebrew Date: 22nd
Hebrew Month: Nisan
Holiday: 8th Day of Passover

Hebrew Date: 7th
Hebrew Month: Sivan
Holiday: Shavuot

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
When a weekend falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, weddings are allowed, but it is up to the couple since this is the ten days of prayer and reflection.

Funerals
During the seven days of Shiva, Jewish ceremonies are strongly discouraged. Since most are pre-planned and pre-paid, they normally go as planned. The decision to postpone is made by the couple and their families.

Weddings, When Not to Marry can be used with Jewish Holidays, the Hebrew Calendar's Cycle at a Glance

"Choosing a date does seem easier when you have all the resources directly from a Rabbi"