Jewish Wedding Custom - Betrothal - Act of Kinyan - Sandal for Ruth
Posted: Friday, April 10, 2009
by Rebecca Park Totilo
Rebecca at the Well & Heal With Essential Oils
After the Ketubah (marriage contract) was signed, it was customary in biblical times for one of the witnesses or the rabbi to make a Kinyan with the bridegroom. The Hebrew word Kinyan (purchase, or acquisition) demonstrates it is a legal transaction.
If a widowed woman and her late husband never had any children, and she wishes to remarry, she must undergo the ceremony of chalitzah as described in Deuteronomy 25:9. This ceremony consists of the removal of a specially made shoe from the foot of her late husband's brother. The symbolic meaning of this, as is the case in the book of Ruth, is to release any claim that the brother may have to the dead husband's inheritance. In Ruth 4:7 (NKJV), it says, "Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel." In such cases, the widow may not remarry until the "removing the shoe" ceremony has been completed. Other objects such as a handkerchief or an article of clothing may be used.
When a groom takes upon himself the obligation of the Ketubah through a Kinyan, a shoe, handkerchief, or another article of clothing is given to the groom, and it is accepted as barter for his obligation, thus he commits himself. Witnesses who sign the Ketubah must be eyewitnesses to this transaction of Kinyan before signing it.
As the bride of the Messiah, we too, must give a Kinyan for our Bridegroom's obligation. Just as the sandal was symbolic of surrendering all rights to the property, which included Ruth's hand in marriage, for Boaz, so too, we must surrender all of our rights to the Messiah in exchange for His obligation.
Take a moment now and think about how much this obligation has cost the Savior. Have you let go of all you have and own to your Kinsmen-Redeemer?
To learn more about the Jewish wedding customs and their prophetic significance for the bride of Christ, get a copy of Rebecca Totilo's bestselling book, "His Majesty Requests." Visit her website http://ratw.org.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great Article!
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