Have you been wondering how to celebrate the Royal Wedding in a Kosher way?
This is the authorised order of the day, as laid out by the Chief Rabbi of Canterbury, Rav H.R. Williams.
Section A: Tefilla
1.One should dress in one's finest clothes fitting to meet the Queen.
2.The congregation will join in with the Chazan who will begin the service with Adon Olam to the tune of ‘God Save The Queen’.
3.The service will continue as normal with the morning brachot, however 'she lo asani goy' will not be recited.
4.Pezukei D'Zimra will remain the same however Nishmat Kol Chai will be added in after Az Yashir. The Chazan for Shacharit will take over from Hamelech and will do Shacharit in the Yamim Noraim nusach.
5.The Kedusha should be that of Shabbat morning and all parts should be sung to the tune of 'Rule Britannia'.
6.Hallel will be said, however there are differing opinions as to whether you make a bracha or not, therefore:
a.If you are praying in a United Synagogue (an organisation founded by Royal Decree), you should recite full Hallel with a bracha.
b.If you are in an Affiliated Synagogue, or any other type of synagogue, full Hallel should be said without a bracha.
7.The accepted minhag is for the Chazan to sing the refrains ‘Hodu’ and ‘Ana Hashem’ to the tune of the hymn 'Jerusalem'.
8.Tachanun and Lamnatzeiach are not recited.
9.There is a special Torah reading for the occasion, which is from Parashat Shoftim where we learn about the Mitzvah of appointing a King - Devarim 17:14 - 18:2. The Torah should be read without a bracha.
10.The Haftorah is from Shmuel 11:1-12:25, which contains the episode of David and Batsheva. Brachot should not be recited.
11.Once the Haftorah is finished, the Torah should be held next to the Bimah and the prayer for the Royal Family should be read. Prince William's and Princess Catherine's name should be inserted into the prayer.
12.Psalm 119 will be read as the Shir Shel Yom.
Section B: Minhagei HaYom
1.Women, slaves and children are obligated to celebrate the Royal Wedding with a festive meal.
2.The meal should take place after Chatzot in a public location, preferably a street, because of pirsumei nisuin (publicising the wedding).
3.B’dieved, if one does not have nice neighbours, one can have a meal in one’s garden.
4.If the weather is inclement, the meal can be held indoors. The same rules apply here as for eating in a Succah.
5.Hamotzi should be recited at the start of the meal.
6.Bentsching should be made over a cup of wine, followed by Sheva Toasts. This consists of making the bracha ‘Borei Pri HaGafen’ followed by six toasts to the following recipients: Prince William, Princess Catherine, Queen Elizabeth, Phillip Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Prince of Wales and all the Royal Family.
Written by Josh Pomerance & Michael Rainsbury