Jacob and Samson celebrate their marriages for seven days. The earliest mention of marriage blessings, however, is in the apocryphal book of Tobit and the Dead Sea Scrolls, both from the late second Temple times. 3, 5, 6 and even 7 blessings circulated in Jewish society before the rabbis formalized the series as the “Sheva Berakhot” by early medieval times. Their recitation by guests during the celebratory week was promoted by the rabbis as occasions to engage in an “act of lovingkindness” (gemilut ḥasadim).
Prof.
Stuart Miller
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