This post provides links to several different texts of the « tenaim » document, each reflecting the personal values and visions of their authors. This document traditionally outlines the conditions of the marriage and declares the couple’s intention to wed, often signed at an engagement party or the pre-Chuppah reception of the wedding and followed by the breaking of a plate by the mothers of the bride and groom. Because this ceremony is a custom, not a halachic obligation, it provides an excellent opportunity for a couple to imbue an ancient tradition with personal meaning and consider their goals and hopes for their marriage. All of the documents below were shared on Ritualwell, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices and observances.
Alternative Tenaim (Engagement Contract) Texts
- Creative Tenaim by Igal Harmelin Moria and Rabbi Lisa Goldstein
- Tena’im by Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman and Rabbi Renee Bauer
- Egalitarian Tena’im by Orrin Wolpert
- Tena’im by Joshua Yan and Alison Engel (see their entire Tena’im Engagement Ceremony)
- Self-Authored Tena’im By Rabbi James I. Greene and Jennifer S. Corman