Wondering. How is it that a rabbi married a couple before sundown on the Sabbath?

[CTyankee]

My daughter who is not Jewish had some trouble finding a rabbi to marry her to her Jewish fiance. They couldn't find one who would do it before sundown. Eventually, they found a "marrying Sam" type of Reform rabbi who did the ceremony. They were also married in July and wanted to have the ceremony in daylight...

My understanding is that the groom is a Conservative Jew...so it strikes me as a bit odd...

[rucky]

1. You answered it: Reform Rabbi

And if the groom were that observant, he would never have married Chelsea in the first place.

[KharmaTrain]

2. After Sundown...

I'm a conservative Jew (the only thing in me that is)...my bets are the ceremony took place right after Sundown on Saturday...after the Jewish sabbath.

As the othe poster commented...good chance the rabbi was reform since the bride was a schixzie...

[CTyankee]

4. We had thought of that but I recall the groom's mother said she wanted

her friends and family to see the ceremony.

That does make since with the two of them. We really don't know what the service was and perhaps the rabbi was just saying a few words and the Methodist minister did the actual vows. But I still wonder why he wore a tallit...

[KharmaTrain]

13. Many Variations...

My daughter married a "gentile" several years ago...we had two ceremonies...one in his church and then a Jewish ceremony. I've attended some where you have a rabbi and minister co-officiating...all depends on the family. Conservatives aren't as "strict" as orthodox and in this era of mixed marriages the lines between religions blur.

Here's hoping the best for the new couple...

[dipsydoodle]

3. Maybe because

it was her daughter and not yours. In her postition I guess she gets preferential treatment. :shrug:

[CTyankee]

5. The rabbi is the Jewish chaplain for Yale, James Ponit.

I'll have to find out since I live here in New Haven...

[dipsydoodle]

12. Ever come across the expression

It is not what you know : it is who you know. :)

[LostinVA]

6. Marc wouldn't marry a Gentile is he was THAT "Conservative"

No way.

[Bette Noir]

7. There seems to have been some drift in the nomencalture.

When I was a kid, "Conservatives" were as observant as the "Orthodox" are now, and "Reform" were as observant as nowadays "Conservatives."

My husband's family is "Conservative," and only keeps kosher during Passover. We had no trouble finding a rabbi to perform the ceremony (I'm not Jewish), but we didn't try to have it on Saturday.

[LostinVA]

9. Growing up, a good friend was Conservative

And they kept kosher every day, and had a special set of dishes for me when I ate over there, and she and her brother were expected to marry someone Jewish. And both did. Who knows!

[Raksha]

8. I wonder if Chelsea is thinking about converting down the line.

I'm not saying she "should," just kind of thinking out loud. Also in my experience, it's more often the non-Jewish party who converts than vice versa. I used to belong to a Reform temple in which most of the parents of the young children were interfaith couples. However, most of the non-Jewish spouses had converted, and all were raising their children Jewish.

[CTyankee]

10. My daughter did not convert but my granddaughters are being raised Jews.

They go to Sunday school at the temple (Reformed) and are having Bat Mitzvahs.

The thing is that my daughter can't give up Christmas, albeit not a religious Christmas, just a tree and opening presents on Christmas Day. Both my then husband and I were non-practicing Protestants so there was no religious stuff going on in my house when my kids were growing up.

My son in law is not real happy with the tree bit, but he goes along with it. I told my dtr that if she wanted to just have Hannukkah and no Christmas that would be fine with me...but she really, really wanted it...

[no_hypocrisy]

11. I went to the marriage of my friend and his affianced 20 years ago.

In Greenwich Village on a Sunday morning by a rabbi.

After the ceremony, I excitedly congratulated my friend and told him I couldn't believe that he got a rabbi to do the ceremony. With a smile, he responded that in The Village, it wasn't that hard to find such a rabbi to do gay weddings. No, I countered. How did you get a rabbi to marry you to a goy . . . .

Same answer: Reform Rabbi.

[Bitwit1234]

14. I think I also heard on MSNBC that the ceremony took place at sunset

it was performed by a Methodist Preacher and a Rabbi. So the Methodist could have performed the part BEFORE the sun set completed and the Rabbi after. CNN and such didn't post that. They wanted to make everyone thing they did something incorrect.

[CTyankee]

17. OK, that sounds right. The sun "sets" long before it gets dark so it makes sense.

It just looked so light when I saw the photos I was wondering...

[blueamy66]

15. Who cares?

Is this important?

[CTyankee]

18. Actually, it does. It is part of the Jewish faith.

My guess is that it is because the Sabbath is holy and all attention should be directed toward worship and God.

When you think about it, it does make sense...

[DFW]

16. Maybe they found a rabbi who thought the wishes of the couple took precedent?

Besides, by that time, it was after sundown, Israeli time. You can always find a rationalization if you look hard enough.

[CTyankee]

19. Why bring Israel into this?

[DFW]

20. Not Israel, just geography

Jeez Louise, get a grip. OK, it was after dark in Malawi. Happier now?

[CTyankee]

21. Malawi not the point. Israel is. Jeez, Louise, get a grip!

C'mon, really, what does the wedding of Marc and Chelsea have to do with Israel except that Marc is Jewish?

Really uncalled for...