In the words of judicious Ba’al Shem Tov, “From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls are destined to find each other, their two streams of light flow together and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.” This is a momentous quote which implies to the prominence of marriage in Judaism, it also relates to a phrase in the Old Testament Genesis 2:24 “A man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”. The concept of marriage in Judaism is an ideal state of personal system, a man without a wife and a woman without a husband is considered incomplete. Jews consider marriage a holy institution, from the name “kiddushi” meaning sanctification, the wedding ceremony dates back to the earliest days and is associated with the providing of the Torah at Mount Sinai. According to Jewish law physical contact is not allowed between a male and a female until they are married. This aids to ensure that one’s choice of partner will be based on intellect and emotion and not on physical desire alone. In Genesis God has stated: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” The marriage ceremony itself contains symbolic significance to Judaism, conveying Jewish beliefs through symbols, actions and words. To be Jewish one has to be born of a Jewish marriage; therefore, Jewish marriages are substantial ensuring Judaism remains through generations due to procreation and the adherence of individuals marrying. As a result, marriage is viewed as the joining of a couple to form a complete entity, giving them strength and vitality to maintain a Jewish life and to grow physically, mentally and spiritually. In doing so, they gain a voice and new standing within the Jewish community. The ceremony is intricate of high morality as the ritual is embedded in historical and spiritual implication to the individual adherent, as well as the community. It allows them to express their faith and belief through their wedding ceremony, love seeks eternity and sanctity rootedness in a transcendent power.
Table 1: The number of Jewish marriages in Australia from 1992 to 2010.
Marriage is seen as a personal, contractual relationship and the fulfilment of the Mitzvah. All Jewish men and women are expected to marry as it is the first commandment located in Genesis. Marriage is a religious obligation as it structures the lives of the couple and assigns clear roles to each partner. In fact, one must be married in order to become a rabbi. Judaism's high view of marriage derives from its view of the home and family as the centre of religious life. Given true love and a man and woman who follow religious and ethical precepts, life holds the possibility of being as close to paradise as is possible in this world. But if they violate God's commands, they must repeat the experience of Adam and Eve in paradise lost. Judaism teaches that every bride and groom must go back to Adam and Eve, and re-enact that physical and spiritual drama of community as "one flesh". Jewish marriage is not designed for the ethical management of the sexual drive, nor is it a concession to human weakness. Marriage is seen as a blessing from God because it enables to overcome loneliness. According to the Torah, Jewish marriage is the decision to confront the challenge of the real world. Judaism teaches when a man marries, he enters not only marriage, but the world. In addition, Judaism views marriage as holy, as a sanctification of life. Furthermore, Judaism views marriage as purposeful. The purposes of marriage are both companionship and procreation. Conferring to Judaism, woman was created because "It is not good for a man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18) In addition, marriage enables fulfillment of the first commandment: "Be fruitful and multiply." (Genesis 1:28). The mystics explain that two primary considerations drive the
Judaism – Sexual Ethics & Marriage Sexual Ethics Sex & Marriage In Judaism, sex is allowed only within the context of marriage. Marriage is seen as a contract between a man & a woman excluding all other people. Judaism forbids adultery, but within marriage, sex is a mitzvah – commandment. It is treasured as something which should be permanent, faithful & exclusive The Jewish Scriptures accepted polygyny – when a man marries more than one woman – but it is almost universally outlawed today. Polgamy…
Marriage is a significant part of Judaism bringing together a woman and man under God’s reign. It is the mitzvah (122) “To marry a wife by means of ketubah and keddushin” (Deut 22:13), all Jewish adherents see marriage as a necessity in order to obey God and to experience the fullness of life. In Genesis God says: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” It is a link between individuals and the wider community as it recognises two individuals coming together…
'Sexual ethics provide a framework for Jewish conduct so that the tradition may continue in stability and morality' Evaluate the accuracy of this statement. Sexual Ethics are integral to Judaism because they provided direct guidance on how to behave morally and in accordance with the Torah and God. Although, over many years Jews were suffering from persecution, they are currently showing stability which can be attributed to the framework that is outlined through the strong ethics that they…
Gay Marriage Debate - Against it Opening statement, begin the debate with : Much of the debate over same sex marriage centers on one's belief of whether homosexuality is a sin. If homosexuality is asin, and marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman, then the faithful can be tolerant of a sin but they cannot support it. None of the major Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, or Islam support homosexuality or gay marriage. The Judeo-Christian belief that homosexuality…
The role of women in traditional Judaism has been grossly misrepresented and misunderstood. The position of women is not nearly as lowly as many modern people think; in fact, the position of women in halakhah (Jewish Law) that dates back to the biblical period is in many ways better than the position of women under American civil law as recently as a century ago. Many of the important feminist leaders of the 20th century (Gloria Steinem, for example, and Betty Friedan) are Jewish women, and some…
Issues The Western religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have similarities and commonalities along with numerous differences concerning divinity and their religious belief systems. This paper will present historic and theological similarities, and connections of the three religions. Christianity chosen as the focused religion, information presented will show and facilitate understanding the familiarities Christianity attains with Islam and Judaism. The subject of this paper will describe and…
ADRIANA NAVARRO RELIGION 1 UNIT NOTES Page 2: Aboriginal Spirituality Page 5: Post 1945 Page 7: Judaism page 10: marriage Page 12: Chrisitianity page 13: marriage Page 18: Ethics page 18: Christianity page 21: Judaism Aboriginal Spirituality Country: term used to describe ones land which they belong to and their place of dreaming Elders: Key persons and keepers of knowledge within Aboriginal communities ‘Elders’ – kinship and owners ‘Elders’ - leaders of large extended family ‘Elders’…
ultimate focus of this essay is to compare and contrast the rites of passage practices between the Jewish Hebrew and the Japanese. The Jewish culture originated in the Middle East, near Israel. People of Jewish decent often speak Hebrew or Arabic. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish culture. It is the mother-faith from which Islam and Christianity developed. Belief in only one god is the basic principle of the religion. Jewish daily life can be different from other cultures in different ways.…
homes to allow them to "die with dignity". To the issue of divorce that is rampant in society, the church of Jesus Christ has answered with the sacredness of the "covenant marriage" God gave as a bonding agreement that Christians keep as unto God Himself. Lifestyles of co-habitation of men and women without the bond of a marriage covenant the Christian church has proclaimed to those who are single to live for God, "asleep in Christ" until He awakens them to build a covenant. Until that time each bind…
I strongly believe in gay marriage, i feel like if you truly love someone whether they are a male or female, it shouldn't matter! I think that gay marriage should be legal because it is uncivilized. our civil rights and the constitution give us many liberties. one of our civil liberties are the pursuit of happiness, which gay people are not able to chase. They can’t legally be with the true person they love and it violates their freedom. In Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Nebraska, Missouri…