Kallah

20 Jun 2006

[f., pl. “Kallot”]; a bride; who accepts an object of value, generally a ring, from a man, her “Chatan,” who has said, “You are hereby dedicated to me, by acceptance of this ring, according to the Law of Moshe and Israel.”

The “Kallah” accepts the ring, thereby accepting and agreeing to the designation of herself, to the “Chatan,” as his wife.

Seven blessings are recited, each referring to a different aspect of marriage.

The “Chatan” and the “Kallah” spend a few moments of privacy together to symbolically seal their marriage.

It is a great Mitzvah to bring joy to the “Chatan” and the “Kallah,” who are compared at this time and for the first week of their marriage to a king and a queen, by singing and dancing joyously in their honor.

In the Shabbat “Zemirot,” Table Songs, the Shabbat is compared to a “Kallah in her beautiful clothes, among her companions,” on one of the happiest days of her life.