"The Holy Presence (Shechina) Dwells Among Them": Abstract Representations of the Divine in Contemporary Hassidic Weddings

Throughout the Hassidic wedding ritual, various abstract representations of the Divine presence are implied. These hinted representations can be detected in examining verbal-linguistic terms used during the ritual, in material-culture objects, and in ceremonial practise: The Holy Presence (Shechina) is referred to by means of written words and letters, either inscribed on ceremonial objects (such as the letter Heh inscribed on the Hassidic wedding ring), or encoded in concealed ritual practises (Such as letters of the Holy name "written" in the movements of the ritual dance). It is also referred to through Gematria - the numeric code of Hebrew letters, found in objects used in the ceremony (such as 26 hidden buttons in the grooms attire), or encrypted in the terms used for various stages of the ceremony (such as the Gematria of words such as Huppah, Cetubbah hinting to the Divine presence). Finally, the Holy Presence is implied to in various ritual performances throughout the ceremony (such as the groom covering of the brides head and face, the bride surrounding the groom seven times under the wedding canopy, the ceremonial dance). All these abstract representations of the Divine signify the magnitude of the underlying inner-cultural perception of the Hassidic Wedding Ceremony as being not only a human covenant between the bride and the groom, but mainly as a Sublime covenant, inviting the Holy Presence to dwell among them forever.