As two souls merge, the chuppah elevates the experience
Every Jewish ceremony is replete with different customs and layers of meaning. The chuppah is no exception.
Technically a cloth held up by four poles, the chuppah represents a house. It’s customary to beautify the chuppah in honor of the Shechinah that rests upon it.
Rav Aryeh Kaplan ztz”l explains that the chuppah is open on all four sides, like the tent of Avraham Avinu was, in hope that this couple will likewise build a home predicated on chesed.
The chuppah also reflects the marriage of Hashem and the Jewish People at Har Sinai. Then, the mountain was suspended over Bnei Yisrael, similar to the way a chuppah covers the chassan and kallah.
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