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Why Does a Bride Wear a Veil?



''The Badeken'' (bride veiling ceremony) - a painting by Chassidic artist Zalman Kleinman
"The Badeken" (bride veiling ceremony) - a painting by Chassidic artist Zalman Kleinman

Question:

I'm getting married in a a few weeks, and I want to ask about one Jewish wedding custom. What is the meaning behind the bride wearing a veil? I want to do things right, but I'm not particularly turned on by the veil thing. It seems a bit outdated!

Is there a unique Jewish explanation of this?

Answer:

Michelangelo's famous sculpture of Moses depicts him as having horns coming out of his head. Do you know why?

The horned Moses is an old inaccuracy, which originates in a Greek mistranslation of a verse in the Hebrew Bible. After coming down from Mount Sinai, Moses is described as having rays of divine light beaming from his face. But being that the word for "beaming" and "horns" have the same letters in Hebrew, an old Greek translation mistakenly rendered this verse, "And Moses had horns." Based on this, many medieval artworks depicted a horned Moses, most famously Michelangelo's sculpture.

The Torah continues to say that Moses' face was so bright with holiness, no one dared look at him. He had to wear a veil whenever he spoke to the people in order to filter the divine glare.1

This is also why a bride wears a veil. The souls of both bride and groom are in an elevated state under the Chuppah (marriage canopy), as they are about to unite as one. In the bride, this elevated state is more revealed. She radiates a special holiness; the divine presence ("Shechinah"), the feminine aspect of G-d, shines through the face of the bride.

This light is so intense that it must be veiled, just as the light emanating from Moses' face had to be covered. Holiness needs privacy.

Those moments under the Chuppah are potent, and the thoughts and prayers of bride and groom at that time have extra power, for there is a divine aura surrounding them. Your day is coming soon. Make sure to soak in and utilize every holy second.


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FOOTNOTES
1. Exodus 34:29-35.

By Aron Moss   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author

Rabbi Aron Moss teaches Kabbalah, Talmud and practical Judaism in Sydney, Australia.

Painting by Chassidic artist Zalman Kleinman.


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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Apr 16, 2008
wow this makes me feel happy to wear my veil
I will Make sure to soak in and utilize every holy second.
Posted By Anonymous, NL

Posted: June 17, 2007
moses veil
When studied thoroughly you will come to find out that Moses came down from the mountain with out the veil on and then he had to put it on so people would not see the glory of God fade away from him. That said I beleive the veil is worn for modesty and the husband does receive the extra excitement from lifting. I plan on wearing one on my wedding day.
Posted By Teresa Garcia, Antioch, ca

Posted: Mar 24, 2007
Why does a bride wear a veil?
If the tradition of the bride wearing a veil started with Moses, how would Laban have been able to use a veil on Leah to deceive Jacob?

I thought the veil of a bride had some sort of symbolism with the veil in the Temple.
Posted By Shoshannah, Louisville, KY



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