Discuss about marriage courtship and funeral services of the people.

1. Traditionally Jewish weddings are held outside with a canopy (chuppah) covering the
bride (kallah) and groom (chatan). The ceremony includes two distinct rituals, the
betrothal (kiddushin) and the completion of the marriage itself (ni'usin). In kiddushin the
bride accepts symbolic payment and a signed contract or ketubah from the groom. The
payment is generally made with a ring, but in Sefardic weddings it can be paid with a
coin. Each of these steps includes wine, which was served in two glasses. Prayers are
said over the first glass before the gift of the ring, and then seven blessings are
pronounced over the second glass following the reading of the ketubah. Finally, the
groom breaks the glass under his foot. The breaking of the glass symbolizes the
destruction of the Second Temple, thereby reminding the assembled party of the need to
be mindful of unhappiness even at moments of great joy.

2. Choosing the bride

Parents were responsible for choosing appropriate spouses for their children, and the
young man and woman were expected to accept their parents’ arrangementsOften the
man would go to his father and tell Him who He wanted to marry (Judges 14:2-3)The
father would then begin to arrange the marriage either himself or through another male
representative (Genesis 24)Even in the time of the New Testament, this custom was still
being followed by the early believers (1 Cor 7:36).

Engagement

The process of betrothal began when the prospective groom and his father or a close male relative
came to the bride’s house to meet with her father and determine the conditions of the marriage
contract.

Once the terms of the marriage were agreed upon, the groom could formally “propose” to his
prospective bride. He would present her with a ketubah, a beautifully decorated formal document
that specified the marriage terms and stated his intent to consecrate himself to his bride-to-be

The groom then offered her a gift of value (mohar), a possession symbolic of his esteem for her and
his willingness to sacrifice in her behalf. Often this gift was gold, coins and/or jewellery (Genesis
24:53) (Luke 15:8-9)

The groom then poured a cup of wine for the prospective bride. Because Jewish law stated that a
woman could not be forced to marry a man distasteful to her, the bride was ultimately allowed to
choose whether to accept or reject the groom’s proposal. If she drank the cup he offered, they were
betrothed.

The groom would formally accept his bride with another ritual statement, often “You are set apart (or
consecrated) for me according to the law of Moses and Israel.” Interestingly, the same word for “set
apart” was also used to describe a dedicated temple; the bride was considered a temple now set
apart for her husband. From this point on, the bride would wear a veil over her hair in public to
indicate her status as a betrothed or married woman. Some believe that this is why Shaul told
women to cover their heads.

Once the bride drank from the wine cup that the groom offered her, she was bound to the man and
only a divorce could separate them. If she was with another man, it was considered adultery even
though she was still a virgin.

The groom would then go back to His father’s house and there He would add on rooms as a place
for he and his bride to live after they were married.

3. Jewish Funerals in Israel

Jewish funerals are divided into three parts: the rending of the families’ clothes, eulogies, and
burial. Family and friends usually gather in funeral halls near cemeteries to pay respects to
the deceased, offer eulogies, and comfort the bereaved. They then accompany the body to the
 gravesite for burial. In Israel, Jewish funerals follow the same outline, but vary from other
parts of the world in certain customs. In most Israeli funerals, there is no coffin (the body is
buried in shrouds directly in the earth.) It is not customary to wrap the deceased in a tallit
(prayer shawl), as is done in other Jewish communities. (If the family requests, the deceased
can be wrapped in a tallit during the funeral, but it will generally be removed before burial.)
Customs around the installation of headstones vary in Israel: some people unveil headstones
30 days after funerals, while others wait a year.

Procedures
Jewish funerals in Israel take place under the auspices of local burial societies, which allocate graves,
obtain burial permits, transport and prepare bodies for burial, and carry out burials. When notified of a
death, a local burial society will obtain a burial permit from the Health Ministry (though in certain cases,
such as when someone passes away at home, families or their representatives must obtain the permit
directly), and, in consultation with the family, will set the time for the funeral.
It is customary in Israel to bury the deceased as soon as possible. Some burial societies are insistent on
this custom and arrange funerals late into the night; others are more flexible. Cemeteries are closed on
Shabbat, and major holidays (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and the first and last
days of Pesach and Shavuot).
Civil funerals—those involving funeral rites that differ from traditional Jewish ceremonies—can be
carried out in certain regional cemeteries, and in public civil cemeteries. Death certificates may be
obtained at branch offices of Israel’s Interior Ministry. Request forms can be downloaded on the Interior
Ministry website. Death certificates generally are issued within two weeks of the date they are requested.

Burial options
Due to space limitations, Israeli cemeteries usually have various burial options, including:
1.Kevurat Sadeh (Ground Burial): in-ground with a headstone

2.Kevurat Komot (Leveled Burial): multiple burials that appear as an in-ground grave with a headstone

3. Kevurat Kukhin (Niche Burial): multiple burials within an above-ground structure, with headstones
embedded in the front wall

4. Kevurat Makhpela (Double Burial): paired burial with a joint headstone (for couples)