מנהג קדושים אשר עברו בישישים: נוהלי הנישואים במיינץ

This article examines weddings in Mainz and elsewhere in the Ashkenazi region during the 11th century. The study shows that the betrothal ceremony was held with a significant time gap from the marriage. The wedding itself took place on a Saturday, as it was customary in Christian society to marry on festivals and days of rest. In preparation for the wedding, the ketubah (marriage contract)was written on the Friday. A wedding in those days was not a symbolic ritual, but rather a concrete act of sexual relations. On Saturday,therefore, a festive meal was held during which the couple consummated the marriage. Since the betrothal had been conducted in as mall circle, the betrothal blessing was recited toward the end of the Sabbath in a public, festive ceremony. After it was confirmed that the bride had been a virgin and entitled to receive the ketubah, the marriage blessings were recited on Saturday night, and the ketubah took on legal validity. This procedure contradicted the Babylonian halakha (Jewish law), which conditions the beginning of marriage on the recitation of the marriage blessings.