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32
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1987
)
Wedding Used Customs
Of Spanish Morocco
CAROL GREEN
ryeh Benzacquan, a
young rabbinical stu-
dent, always knew
that when it came time for
him to marry, he would do it
right. In Benzacquan's case
that meant a ceremony con-
ducted according to the
customs of the Jews of
Spanish Morocco, with all the
trimmings.
For his bride, the Tangiers-
born Banzacquan, an active
member of the Spanish
Moroccan Genealogical Socie-
ty in Israel, chose a daughter
of Spanish Morocco.
"Mercedes comes from Te-
tuan, a town 60 kilometers
from Tangiers so renowned for
its piety that it was called 'lit-
tle Jerusalem'," says
Benzacquan.
In an uncharacteristic
departure from tradition, the
bride and groom met on the
campus of Bar Ilan Universi-
ty where they were both
students. In Spanish Morocco,
marriages were generally ar-
ranged by the parents and the
couple saw little of each other
until they got to the chuppah.
"My father told me that the
only time the couple could
meet was at : the havdalah
ceremony at the close of the
Sabbath."
But once they decided to
make it official, the Benzac-
quans conformed strictly to
the old ways, which date from
pre-inquisition Spain. The of-
ficial merrymaking began on
the Sabbath preceding the
wedding. "On this Sabbath,
known as the Sabt ed Rai, or
the Sabbath of royalty, the
bride's family welcomes the
groom's family into their
home to formalize the union
between the two families," ex-
plains Benzacquan, a custom
which signals the beginning
of a long week of feasting and
celebration.
The next step on the road to
the chuppah is the
or henna
Berveriska,
ceremony which takes place
•at the bride's home upon her
return from the ritual bath.
"In old Morocco, this night us-
ed to be called `the night of
the contract,' because on this
night the bride presented her
dowry," explains Benzacquan.
Today, however, the evening
has lost its legal meaning.
"My bride came to me
without a dowry," confesses
the young rabbi to be.
On the next day, the wed-
ding ceremony took place. Ac-
cording to the custom of the
Sephardim, or Spanish and
A
Portuguese Jews, the couple
prepared themselves for this
awesome event, not by fasting
and prayer but by partaking
in sweet foods and delicacies.
"In Spanish this is called
adulsar a boca, 'a sweet
mouth is an omen for a sweet
life'," explains the portly
Benzacquan.
Because the groom is
considered like a king on his
wedding day, he annoints
himself in a special perfumed
bath of rosewater and rose
petals. "In old Morocco, the
groom's friends prepared the
bath for him and accom-
panied him to the bathhouse
with song and rejoicing,"
explains Benzacquan. In
modern Israel, however, Ben-
zacquan's friends led him as
far as the shower.
Toward late afternoon, the
couple proceed to the
synagogue where a special
Bottles of milk, oil
and sugar are left
as good omens for
the house.
prayer service is held in their
honor.
In contrast to the levity of
the preceding days, the mood
at the wedding ceremony is
heavy and solemn. "At my
wedding everyone was cry-
ing," recalls Benzacquan. The
responsibilities of marriage
and family life are regarded
with the utmost seriousness,
•he explains.
After the glass is broken,
the family retires to eat a
special ceremonial feast at
which hymns of praise are
sung to honor the young
couple.
The Castillian marriage
contract, used by the Jews of
Spanish Morocco, is unusual.
First of all, explains Benzac-
quan, it contains modifica-
tions which encourage the
cause of women's rights. For
example, a Castillian
ketubah states that the wife
may inherit directly from her
husband's estate, so that in
the event of widowhood she
will have her own money and
will not need to depend on her
children for support. The
ketubah also lists, in detail,
the lineage of both the bride
and groom. After the wedding
it is taken to the mother of
the bride's home and hidden
there.
Following the wedding
ceremony, the bride and
groom go to their new home.
Behind the door bottles of