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Two interlocking mogen davids represent two lives intertwining. There is a tree of life in the middle of the stars. Written among the leaves are the 10 joys of marriage. The mogen david?s borders are decorated by panaroma views of the city of jerusalem, the Bride and Groom?s Hebrew and English names, day and night skies, and the blessing over the wine. A rectangular shape is formed by the phrase "Haray aht m?kudeshet li b?taba?at zu k?dat Moshe v?Yisrael. By this ring you are consecrated to me in accordance with the traditions of Moshe and Israel.? This formula is called the haray aht, contains thirty-two letters. In Hebrew; the number thirty-two is written with the letters lamed and vet, which spell the word that means ?heart? ? lev. The custom of placing the ring on the bride?s right index finger is said to be nearly a thousand years old. It stem?s from an ancient belief that the index finger was directly connected by a special artery to the heart, so their hearts are joined. There are a number of explanations for the halakhic preference that the ring be placed on the index finger. Some suggest that this was where rings were once worn; others believe the custom simply made it easier to show witnesses that the bride had received the ring. By taking the ring on here most active finger the bride also demostrates that she accepts it not as a gift but as a binding transaction.
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