God s name is invoked throughout the ceremony. And yet, marriage vows are broken with abandon. Some have extra-marital affairs, satisfying sexual urges uncomplicated by the complexities of sharing the full range of life s joys and struggles with another person. Others rush to the divorce lawyer at the first sign of difficulty, without any sincere effort to make the marriage work. Still others are unfaithful in more subtle ways, abandoning a spouse by seeking refuge in work, hobbies, or the internet.
Marital infidelity is nothing new.
If adultery were not a problem in biblical days, there would have been no reason to outlaw it in the Torah. While some among us may wish for the good old days, when marriage vows were supposedly taken more seriously, I am not persuaded that the problem is greater today than it was in the past. Moreover, Judaism has always understood that not every marriage is meant to be, however sincerely both parties were on their wedding day. Therefore, divorce is provided as a remedy, even in the Torah itself. An entire tractate of the Talmud addresses the matter.