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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A text from Hellenistic Egypt (ca. 100 B.C.E. to 100 C.E.) tells a romantic story of Joseph and Asenath’s courtship. Initially, Asenath rejects Joseph, but then falls in love with him, only to have Joseph reject her because she is the daughter of an Egyptian priest. It’s only after she repents and changes her allegiance to Israel’s God that Joseph marries her.
Prof.
Patricia D. Ahearne-Kroll
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