Friday, March 18, 2011

The Sheva Brachot / Seven Blessings: A Quick Reference for Hebrew, English & Transliterated

Sheva brachot / Seven Blessings* are first read under the chuppah, said again during Grace After Meal at the end the reception in the traditional Jewish wedding, and then during each of the six meals that are held after the wedding. The bride and groom can choose several close family members or friends to participate in reading these blessings, and it is considered an honor for a person to be selected to say one of the seven blessings.

Since there are a total of 14 blessings to be read for the two sheva brachot at the wedding (7 blessings under the chuppah + 7 blessings after the reception), this means the bride and groom can give honors to up to 14 people in fulfilling the mitzvah of the sheva brachot. That being said, not all people honored with reading a blessing from the sheva brachot can read Hebrew fluidly, and would like to either read the blessing in Transliteration or in English.

It is incredibly handy to provide your honored person with a sheet of paper that has the Sheva Brachot in bigger print than a prayer book and offers all three options: Hebrew, Transliterated and English. Further, there is no need to memorize which honored person will be reciting which of the seven blessings. Rather, it is highly recommended to include in the paper that has the seven blessings with Hebrew, Transliteration and English the names of the honored people that are associated with each of these blessings.

Below is a template that you can fill-out and print out as a handy reference to use while at your wedding.


Please note:  If you print the table represented below please note this table is holy, and must be treated as such. When finished, please deposit into your local Genezah / at a synagogue.

Sheva Brachot Said Under Chuppah and Grace After Meals:  click on the table to get a complete view









 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
*  The term “sheva brachot” translates to the Seven Blessings and is also a term used to describe the seven meals that are shared with family, friends, people within the community and acquaintances starting with the Wedding Reception as the first of the seven meals since the chuppah.