The Rama writes1 that the chuppah should take place under the heavens and stars.2
The reason is that it serves as a sign of a perpetual flow of blessing and success to bride and groom:3
a) Under the stars — “So that their progeny be as numerous as the heavenly stars.”
b) Under the heavens — for the heavens are the source of blessing and success,4 as the verse states:5 “Look down from Your holy dwelling place, from the heavens, and bless Your nation (Heb., amcha) Israel.” Thus, blessings to the Jewish people emanate from the level of “heaven.”
We may say that from the expression “and bless amcha, Israel” we also glean that G‑d’s blessings extend to each and every Jewish individual whatever his or her spiritual status, extending equally to the righteous and the non-righteous. The Midrash explains6 that the word am denotes a lowly level, as am refers to an individual who is spiritually flawed and deficient. Nevertheless, the verse states, “and bless amcha”; even he who is only on the level of am — a person who is on a truly low spiritual level — merits to receive an abundance of G‑d’s blessings.7
The Heavens Reveal G‑d’s Existence
The chuppah also possesses an intrinsic and integral connection to the heavens:
Our Sages state that the heavens reveal G‑d’s existence and reality: “The heavens recount the glory of the A-lmighty; the sky proclaims His handiwork”8 — “When one gazes at the heavens one sees G‑d’s glory.”9
The commentaries explain10 that by contemplating the arrangement of the heavenly bodies — the sun, moon, stars and constellations — and their coordinating orbits, one becomes cognizant of the Creator.
To quote the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek:11
“They are a multitude of bodies, each of them possessing its unique orbit. Still, they all follow the identical order, establishing the times of day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter, spring and fall. Who is it then who is their coordinator and obligates them to follow this pattern?”
In other words, who joins and synchronizes “all the constellations so that they all unite in one order and follow the same routine, even though there is truly a massive number of them, each distinct from the other, for one travels eastward and the other westward, and so, too, many other differences between them?
“We must perforce say that this is accomplished through G‑d’s power and ability, the Infinite Power that vests itself in them.”
The Heavens Allude to a Divine Level That Transcends Nature
Kabbalah and Chassidus add to the above and explain that “heaven” alludes to a level of G‑dliness that transcends the level of G‑dliness of “earth”:12
“Heaven” refers to the encompassing light of sovev kol almin, a level that is beyond nature. “Earth,” however, is the lower internalized level of memale kol almin, the level of nature.
This also finds expression in the physical placement of the heavens — they are above the earth and surround it. This is a result of the superiority of their spiritual source.
[Additionally, the earth possesses a wide variety of climates and environments:
a) There are those climates and regions where plants thrive and flourish and other climates where they do not; b) There are regions where all types of trees and vegetation grow — other places only support limited forms of growth; c) It is much easier for people to live in some regions than in others. And so on. With regard to the heavens, however, it is all the same — one place is just like the next.
This difference between the heavens and the earth lies in their spiritual source:
The earth’s source is memale kol almin, the level of Divine light that adapts and garbs itself within the world’s nature and can thus bring about changes from place to place. The source of the heavens, however, is sovev kol almin, a level that encompasses the entire world and is found equally in all places. This is why it is impossible for there to be changes from one place to the next in the heavens.]
Heaven’s Connection to a Wedding
This is why a wedding is conducted under the heavens:
At the time of the chuppah, the souls of bride and groom unite and meld, becoming one spiritual and soulful entity. Herein lies the connection to the heavens, for the heavens allude to a uniform and superior level of spirituality. (In addition, heavens are spiritually superior to the earth, just as the soul is superior to the body.)
Mystically, there is an additional association between the heavens and a wedding:13
Commenting on the verse, “The heavens recount the glory of the A-lmighty; the sky proclaims His handiwork,” the Zohar states:14 “‘The heavens’ refers to the groom. ‘Recount the glory of the A-lmighty (Keil),’ refers to the majesty of the bride who is called Keil.” Explains the Tzemach Tzedek: “The heavens (i.e., the groom) recount and illuminate the majesty of the bride” — the spiritual aspect of a “wedding” up above.