CARR 289-290 - Central Conference of American Rabbis

Wedding

QUESTION: A couple, in which one member is a Jew by birth

and the other by conversion, is going to be married in the synagogue. They have made several

musical requests, classical in nature. Some of the pieces are specifically written for church

service. Should this music be permitted at the wedding? (G. M., Boston, MA)ANSWER:

We should begin by looking at the nature of synagogue music for weddings. Tradition has

virtually nothing to say about wedding music. There are reports of musicians from Talmudic

times onward (Gen. Rab. 23, 50) playing at weddings, but it is presumed that this

occurred principally at the subsequent celebration. In Prague, organ or other music was provided

in the synagogue prior to the wedding ceremony. This may also have been true in some of the

renaissance synagogue sof Italy and early authorities, like Mordecai, permit non-Jews to play

music at weddings (Mordecai, Betzah 5; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 338.1 ff; Roth

History of the Jews in Venice, pp. 200 ff). Efforts were made to prohibit music at

weddings in Palestine although the people liked it. Radbaz fought against the custom

(Responsa #6, 132). However, no specific pieces of music are mentioned in the

literature. We should also recognize that throughout our history we have frequently

borrowed from the musical tradition of our neighbors. In this way, some Christian pieces entered

the Jewish repertoire. In the sixteenth century, Joel Sirkes felt that only music which was a

fundamental part of the Christian liturgy was prohibited to us (Responsa #127). Such

borrowing also occurred during the last century when many who sought to create a Jewish

hymnal included pieces by Christian composers. Even when we have not taken music from the

Christian liturgical tradition, we have borrowed heavily from the popular and secular tradition

throughout the ages. In our century when much fine Jewish music has been composed, we

should be particularly careful and use it whenever possible. In this instance, we should

exercise special care as one member of this couple has converted to Judaism. Everything

connected with the wedding should, therefore, reflect this religious choice. If the couple wishes to

introduce the wedding through some classical music, it should not be too difficult to find

appropriate pieces which will properly reflect the mood of the day as well as the taste of the

young couple.June 1983