Wedding reading

Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings

Traditional, Hebrew

“Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings” (traditional, Hebrew) is a blessing read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 5 minutes read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, but we do not set the words here — the note below says what to bring instead, and why.

Why the words are not printed here

Traditional and public domain, but the Hebrew, the transliteration, and how the seven are shared out among family and friends are the couple’s community’s to set. Ask the family for their own text and print one copy per reader — this is usually shared, not read by one person.

Where it comes from

The seven blessings are recorded in the Talmud at Ketubot 7b to 8a, and it is uncertain who composed them in that form. They are usually said over a cup of wine, under the chuppah the blessing over wine comes first, and the honor of saying them is sometimes divided among guests the couple wants to honor.

What it says

The seven blessings move outward and then back in. The first is over the wine. The next ones bless God for creating everything for divine glory, for creating humankind, and for making people in God’s image so that life can continue. Then they turn to Jerusalem and to joy, asking that the couple rejoice the way the first couple did in the garden. The last blessing is the longest and most joyful: it lists gladness, love, friendship and peace, and asks that the sound of a bride and groom be heard again in the streets. It places one wedding inside the whole story of creation and of the Jewish people.

Usually shared among seven people. Get the text and the order from the couple. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: seven blessings · joy · bride and groom · shared among family · wine.

Who it suits

A Jewish wedding, or an interfaith wedding where the Jewish side would like the blessings said. Some couples ask for the Hebrew alone, some for Hebrew and English, and some for English adaptations written for their own ceremony. A couple with no Jewish family will rarely want them. Because they are shared among seven readers, they also suit a couple who want to give an honor to seven people they love.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Toward the end of the ceremony under the chuppah, after the ring and the reading of the ketubah, and before the glass is broken. They are repeated at the festive meals during the week after the wedding. A rabbi or cantor often leads; otherwise each reader comes up in turn.

Reading it aloud

Allow about 5 minutes at a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, from the reader’s first word to their last.

Get the text, the language and the order of readers from the couple, and print one card per reader with their blessing on it.
Line the seven readers up beside the chuppah before you begin, so there is no walk across the room between blessings.
Keep the cup of wine where the first reader can reach it, and agree who drinks from it and when.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings” take to read aloud?

“Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings” takes about 5 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings”?

Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings” runs about 5 minutes, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.

Can “Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Traditional and public domain, but the Hebrew, the transliteration, and how the seven are shared out among family and friends are the couple’s community’s to set. Ask the family for their own text and print one copy per reader — this is usually shared, not read by one person.

Can a friend or family member lead “Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings”?

A rabbi or cantor usually leads these, and the Hebrew carries real nuance. If no clergy are involved, ask the couple who is taking each blessing and get the text from them.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.

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