Why Don't Orthodox Jewish Men Wear Wedding Rings?

🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts

In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people wonder about: Why don't Orthodox Jewish men wear wedding rings? While I do know some Orthodox men who do wear them, traditionally many Orthodox men do not, and there's actually a specific reason.

In a traditional Jewish wedding, the man gives the woman something of value, typically a ring, as a gift. The key word here is "gift," not exchange. The entire foundation of a Jewish wedding is built on the concept of giving; the man gives to the woman to establish the marriage bond.

If the man were to give the woman a ring and the woman were to give the man a different ring in return, that would be an exchange, not giving. An exchange is fundamentally different from giving and doesn't align with how a Jewish wedding is constructed. Therefore, a man's wedding ring was never really part of the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony.

Additionally, there's a Torah prohibition against men wearing feminine clothing, which according to many opinions includes jewelry. Traditionally, Orthodox Jewish men don't wear jewelry at all, so a wedding band, which has no part in the Jewish wedding ceremony, was never included in the practice.

Some Jewish men do wear wedding rings today, often as a practical sign that they're married (especially in the workplace to signal to others that they're taken). But this is a modern practice separate from traditional Jewish wedding customs.

CONNECT WITH US:
🎧 Listen to all our podcasts: [www.joidenver.com/podcasts]

Follow us for more:
Website - https://www.joidenver.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy


Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.