Save "Marriage Ceremony for Hilkhot Kiddushin Final
"
Marriage Ceremony for Hilkhot Kiddushin Final

I find unilateral kiddushin to be outdated and anachronistic. I find the bilateral kiddushin ceremony advocated by Rabbi Jill Jacobs and Rabbi Jane Kanarek to be alligned with my fidelity to halakha and egalitarianism.

I still intend to retain the traditional formulation of kiddushin, where a man acquires a woman in marriage by giving a woman a ring and making a betrothal declaration. I feel this is important and must transpire for the kiddushin to be valid. However, I want people in attendance to think that for kiddushin to be valid "both people need to give the ring" to each other. Thus, after the man gives the woman a ring and makes the betrothal declaration, I want the woman to give the man a ring and make a betrothal declaration.

I would like the Mesader Kiddushin to recite the traditional Birkat Erusin text under the chuppah. I find the traditional text that emphasizes "a commitment to monogamy to be powerful." Here is the text, I would like the mesader kiddushin to recite:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

Kiddush

ברוּךְ אתּה י-י א-להינו מלךְ העוֹלָם אשׁר

קדשׁנוּ בּמצוֹתיו וצוָנוּ על העריות ואָסר לָנוּ את הארוּסוֹת והתּיר לָנוּ את הנשׂוּאוֹת לָנוּ על ידי חפּה וקדוּשׁין. בּרוּךְ אַתּה י-י מקדשׁ עמוֹ ישראל על ידי חפּה וקדוּשׁין.

Birkat Erusin

הרי את מקודשת לי בטבעת זו כדת משה וישראל

Then the groom and the bride both drink the wine. The groom will then take the ring in his hand, hold it and place it in on the forefinger of the bride's right hand after he says:

הרי אני מקדשת לך*

Then the bride takes the ring, holds it and places it on the groom's forefinger after she says the words in the right column.

*According to Rabbi David Golinkin, this is one of the acceptable responses that a woman can say to a man after he has placed the ring on her finger.

https://schechter.edu/is-a-double-ring-ceremony-permissible-responsa-in-a-moment-volume-12-number-5/

The woman's response to the man makes it seem as if the woman is only betrothed to the man upon his acceptance of the ring--the kiddushin is only valid once the woman gives a man a ring and makes a betrothal declaration. Hopefully, this shifts attention away from the fact that it is necessary for a man to give the woman a ring and make a betrothal declaration for the kiddushin to be valid.