The Torah calls marriage "kiddushin,"
the root of which is 'kadosh,' meaning holy or sacred.
That which is holy is separated and distinguished from the mundane.
Marriage blossoms when the partners feel truly set apart from others,
dedicated exclusively to each other.
dedicated exclusively to each other.
Learn more after the jump....
There are certain things in the Torah which are described as being "holy." The Hebrew word for "holy' is קדוש, kadosh. In fact there is an entire portion of the Torah which is called Kedoshim, which deals with matters of holiness. However, the translation of kadosh as 'holy' is not very useful since holiness is a vague and sublime term.
The Torah helps us appreciate the term kadosh by telling us that something which is holy is separate and distinguished. Now, within context, we can understand why various things in the Torah are described as being holy, kadosh.
Under the holy chuppah. The beginning:
A very frequent and well known example is 'Shabbos Kodesh,' the holy shabbos. By being holy, Shabbos is separate from the other days of the week. It is a refuge in time when one dedicates their activities toward G-d, focusing primarily on the spiritual - prayer, togetherness, singing, discussion of Torah etc.
Another example is 'Eretz HaKodesh,' the holy land, the land of Israel. Of the 613 mitzvot, 26 of them are described as mitzvot which are dependent on the land of Israel. Meaning, only in Israel, and for some of them, only at the time when the Temple is erected, are we able to perform these mitzvot. Some of them relate to the Temple itself (first fruits, pascal lamb, festival pilgrimage), some relate to the governance of the land (laws of kingship and government), some relate to agriculture (tithes) and there are other areas of mitzvot as well which are practiced only in Israel. However, in relation to our discussion, these laws are a result of the holiness of the land of Israel. Again, holiness is a description of the land due to its uniqueness among other lands. Israel is separate and distinct from the rest of the world.
Mazeltov mazeltov:
A third example is 'lashon kodesh,' the holy language. The Torah was written with a Divine language which is holy since it is unique among the languages of the world. Lashon Kodesh, being divine, has infinite depth. Each letter can be analyzed on its own, based on its form, its numerical value, its crowns and its pronunciation. In addition, words have roots which connect them to other words which further connect in substance. Moreover, each word has an aggregate numerical value which connects to other words and ideas.
Our caption refers to a fourth instance of holiness in the Torah - Kiddushin, which is marriage. Marriage is holy because it a bond between 2 people who become forbidden to everyone else via their connection to one another. They are separated out from the pool of individuals and become a new entity, capable of revealing G-dliness merely by being marriage. It is through kiddushin that G-d dwells in one's home, transforming the mood to one of sacredness and warmth.
That being said, we wish everyone a holy holy shabbos. For those still single, you should all merit to find your holy partners. And for all Jews, we should merit to see the depth in the holy language while residing in the holy land!
Good Shabbos.
Dovid and Miri
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