The Custom of Breaking Glass Under the Chuppah

Why is there a custom of breaking glass under the chuppah at a Jewish Wedding?

The quick answer is that the breaking of glass commemorates the destruction of the Temple / Bet Hamikdash.  The tradition is for the groom to break glass by stomping on it with his foot, and this happens upon the completion of the seven blessings / sheva brachot that are recited under the chuppah.  The glass is typically some sort of whole glass object such as a glass cup, but it is also typical to use a light bulb since it is made of glass and can easily be broken when stepped on.  The glass object is wrapped in cloth or paper and placed on the ground near the groom.  The groom steps on the glass until it is broken and this concludes the chuppah ceremony.

It seems ironic to leave the chuppah, the place where two souls are united as one, with the sound of broken glass and the shattering of something that was once whole into lots of tiny sharp pieces.  But just like glass, marriage is fragile and can shatter.  The chuppah is a place to recognize G-d's presence both in our union as husband and wife and in the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people.  This spiritual connection provides strength for us, even in our most fragile moments and when things could shatter.

An interesting way to capture the moment is to save the broken pieces of glass and then have them "frozen" in a Lucite cube as a keepsake.  Here's a picture of a Rectangular Wedding Glass Lucite Cube by Treasured Collection:

Feel free to add comments or questions about this post.

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.