In 2015, same-sex marriage became legal across the US. Changing “bride” and “groom” to "spouse" on licenses was all it took to put marriage equality into effect. But Jewish marriage ritual is trickier; its words are based on concepts of acquisition – in ways not well suited to same-sex or any egalitarian couples.
In Reb Irwin’s Senior Thesis submitted to the ALEPH Ordination Program, he explores the possibility of uprooting the Jewish wedding language entirely and introducing the words of Ruth’s vow to Naomi: “Where you go, I will go...” He argues for the deep Jewish resonance and legal heft of the words, and points to the symbolic richness of the Ruth/Naomi story for queer couples.
Join Reb Irwin for this workshop laying out the difficulties of the traditional language, surveying the mixed record of the American Jewish denominations trying to work around it, and exploring the empowering language of the Book of Ruth.
Do you want to join us for this deep-dive workshop? Click here to say “I do.”