LESSON 1
Two Halves, One Whole: The Cosmic Root of Love
Is marriage really necessary, if we can reap its social and economic benefits
without getting married? Is the institution of marriage becoming obsolete?
According to a 2010 Pew research poll, 40 percent of Americans believe
that the answer to the latter question is “yes.” Yet the same poll indicated
that 75 percent of unmarried Americans want to get married, and 80 percent
of married people say their marriage relationship is as close, or even
closer, than their parents’ was!
Our generation’s lack of clarity about marriage—its purpose, its benefits,
and its future—appears in stark contrast to millennia of Jewish teachings
on the subject. Judaism has always seen marriage as a vital and desired
institution, a relationship that surpasses all others in its significance. An in depth
look at the two-step marriage ceremony—and at the mystique of man
and woman’s creation as well—will reveal Judaism’s eye-opening answer to
the questions of why we marry and what