Judaism Step-by-step

Family 3 - Marriage

Kiddushin (marriage)

Marriage in Judaism is a great topic that's likely to come up this year. There are plenty of rituals, traditions and commandments that are full of symbolism and meaning.

To remind yourself, look at:

The Revision Site's Marriage
Judaism 101's Marriage
Virtual Jerusalem's Marriage
BBC Bitesize Marriage and Divorce

As with Brit Milah and Bar Mitzvah, (a) asks what happens and what it all means. (b) focuses on the value of the practice. For example [1997 Q3]:

(a) Describe and explain the main features of a Jewish marriage ceremony. [8]

(b) Why might it be important for a Jewish couple to have a religious as well as a civil wedding? [7]

(c) 'Religion is more important than love when choosing whom to marry.'

Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Judaism in your answer. [5]

Have a go at answering at least (a) and (b). It is useful to time yourself, but don't be discouraged - the examiner knows you only have half an hour. The trick is to leave the examiner thinking you could have written a lot more, rather than that you'd run out of ideas half way through and had to start repeating yourself!

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