Jewish views on marriage
Channel: 宇宙のすべての知識 プリンシピア
Date: 2019-01-03

Jewish views on marriage, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=16429 / CC BY SA 3.0

Jewish views on marriage

In traditional Judaism, marriage is viewed as a contractual bond commanded by God in which a man and a woman come together to create a relationship in which God is directly involved. () Though procreation is not the sole purpose, a Jewish marriage is traditionally expected to fulfil the commandment to have children. () In this view, marriage is understood to mean that the husband and wife are merging into a single soul, which is why a man is considered "incomplete" if he is not married, as his soul is only one part of a larger whole that remains to be unified.

Some Jewish denominations such as Reconstructionist, Reform, and Conservative Judaism recognize same-sex marriage, and de-emphasize procreation, focusing on marriage as a bond between a couple. This view is considered as a diversion from the Jewish Law by the Orthodox denominations, rather than as a legitimate, alternative interpretation.

In Jewish law, an engagement (" kiddushin") is a contract between a man and a woman where they mutually promise to marry each other at some future time and the terms on which it shall take place. The promise may be made by the intending parties or by their respective parents or other relatives on their behalf. The promise is formalized in a document known as the , the "Document of Conditions", which is read prior to the . After this reading, the mothers of the future bride and groom break a plate. Today, some sign the contract on the day of the wedding, some do it as an earlier ceremony, and some do not do it at all.

In Haredi communities, marriages may be arranged by the parents of the prospective bride and groom, who may arrange a shidduch by engaging a professional match-maker (""shadchan"") who finds and introduces the prospective bride and groom and receives a "brokerage-fee" for his or her services. The young couple is not forced to marry if eith...