Jewish law on Wedding Rings?

Question

I have been reading various law on Jewish wedding rings and have seen various mentions of either no stones, no holes, some say no bumps. Some say this is only for the Woman. i have seen a comment about the man's is more traditional more still different. Anyone care to explain? Mine coming is a "Ani Le Dodi" which has the letters cut out. Some others I have seen have raised letters or cut out with backing. Being there is so many places selling these I wonder about the law of this.

Also ancient Jewish wedding rings where HUGE. Like the women's would be of a house, really a metal house on a ring. It would be at least an inch high off the finger.

Anyway please inform me and what designs have you seen?>

Answer 1

OK, let me explain this from the Orthodox point of view.

There are no laws regarding a wedding ring- there are customs on various communities (varies by community) which are considered to be binding on those members of the community. The most common Orthodox custom is that the ring should be a plain gold band with no designs or anything to marr the surface (symbolic of an eternal, unbroken relationship). This is for a women's ring. There is NO wedding band for the man. In fact, giving the man a ring under the chupah would invalidate the wedding. (Many Orthodox men put a ring on after the ceremony- particularly those that work in a largely non-Jewish environment and want peple to know they are married. )

Ancient rings were actually part of the dowry to the wife and thus the wealthier the groom, the more elaborate and expensive the ring.

Your best bet is to talk to the Rabbi of the shul where you are getting married- if he is unhappy with the ring, he won't let you use it for the marriage, so make sure that he is happy with whatever decision you make.

Answer 2

Jewish Wedding Rings Rules

Answer 3

In the Talmud, masechta Kiddushin, where the laws of marriage are discussed, it states that one of the way a man marries his wife is through a gift of value. Their is an argument over exactly how expensive the gift has to be but we follow a ruling that a relatively small gift (around 50c) is actually all that is needed, since it is symbolic. So the ring is used as this gift on the modern ceremony- though we traditionally use a gold ring, with no breaks in it to symbolise the eternal bond of the two, and that the marriage should be perfect. A plain gold band is the most common ring used. Note: This design is a custom, not a law- there is no law about a ring, though since the custom has become universally accepted by a majority of the community, it counts as being like a law de'chukas. The woman CANNOT give the man a ring under the chupah (marriage canopy) as this would imply that the woman was aquiring the man, and this is the opposite of the law, and thus would not effect a marriage. Many woman do give their husbands a ring AFTER the ceremony, as a sign of their marriage (I wear one since I work in a non-Jewish company and got tired of telling a particular woman in the firm I was married, something she seemed to treat as nothing until I started wearing a ring...) Also, the groom MUST own the ring, he cannot borrow money from the bride or anyone in her family to purchase the ring, though he may buy it on his own credit resources or with money loaned from his own family- it is preferable that the ring be fully paid for by the time of the wedding.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Jewish law on Wedding Rings?
I have been reading various law on Jewish wedding rings and have seen various mentions of either no stones, no holes, some say no bumps. Some say this is only for the Woman. i have seen a comment about the man's is more traditional more still different. Anyone care to explain? Mine coming is a...

Answer 5

A Jewish wedding is comprised of something (in part) called "Kidushin".
This involves the man giving the woman something of value. Traditionally, this is a ring, but according to Jewish law, does not have to technically be so. (I have yet to hear of a case where a ring was NOT used.)
Since a ring's worth may be assessed by its design as well as by its actual value, thus the requirement to have a plain ring without any designs or inscriptions.

As is the case, since an engagement ring has no religious significance, traditional Jews can then "go all out" on the engagement ring, while keeping the wedding band simple.

Answer 6

According to my understanding (and "The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamont")
Jewish wedding rings are supposed to be "unpierced and free of precious stones." She also writes that some Orthodox rabbis won't perform the ceremony if there's a ring for the groom (!) but that most rabbis will.

If you have any question as to whether the rabbi would perform the ceremony with the ring you chose, I suggest asking him or her. Also, it's a good idea to run the ketubah by him or her, if you're going with anything untraditional.

Answer 7

depends if your reformed, conservative or orthodox.Most reformed and conservative women wear what they want, but orthodox women have a tendency to go for plain bands. some wear diamonds, but it really does depend on the lady. Good luck.