People often talk about the threats to world peace inherent in global warming or the depletion of food sources, but they rarely talk about an equally disturbing threat - the destruction of the family.
The data is shocking: in Europe the divorce rate reaches 351%, while in Israel it stands at 271% (perhaps due to the low divorce rate among religious populations).
Consultants of all kinds wave the simplistic slogan: "If it's not good for you - don't stay.".
Is that it? Is that the decisive consideration in making a decision to break up the family? And where are the children in the picture? What about the suffering they are going to endure, the tears in their souls, the fracture that can never be healed? To what extent does this figure enter into the equation?
Of course, there are cases where there is no escape from breaking up the package. For this purpose, the Torah gave the laws of divorce.
But this should be a last step, after all extreme measures have been exhausted and after examining all considerations, including the best interests of the children.
The ease with which people decide to divorce these days, just because the marriage didn't fulfill all their dreams, is truly shocking.
A sanctuary needs to be nurtured.
The focus of the rift lies in treating marriage as a formal, administrative matter. That's why some ask why one must marry according to the Mosaic and Jewish law, and why a civil ceremony is not enough.
But that's exactly the point, marriage is not like buying a car or even an apartment, where both parties to the transaction sign a contract and get a stamp from the authorities.
The status of marriage begins with 'Kiddushin' – from the word 'Kedushah', because establishing a home in Israel is a spiritual, holy, sublime matter.
A home in Israel is a kind of dwelling place for the Divine Presence, and a dwelling place must be nurtured. It must be protected from foreign influences that could damage its purity. One must keep an eye on the 'eternal fire' that will burn in it, illuminate it, and warm it. This is work that the couple must invest in, recognizing its importance.
It goes without saying that when children are born, the responsibility placed on the couple increases sevenfold. From that moment on, they must remember that the quality of the family unit determines the happiness and health, both spiritual and physical, of their children.
It is the nature of parents to be willing to give their lives for their children, and therefore the welfare of the children should now be at the forefront of their considerations.
Timely guidance
It seems that the prevailing individualistic view today, which prioritizes the needs of the individual, comes at the expense of responsibility for children. People have become accustomed to thinking in terms of their own personal well-being, and they take less into account the impact of their decisions on others, even their own children.
The result is that more and more children are growing up with a gaping wound and a home that was broken precisely when they needed its protection.
That is why it is so important to instill in the public the meaning of the sanctity of married life, while at the same time providing young couples with appropriate guidance.
It's a shame that many couples only learn about married life after their relationship has run aground. Suddenly, they realize that if they had learned these things earlier, they would have saved themselves a great deal of crises, anger, and frustration.
Strengthening the institution of marriage and strengthening the foundations of the family unit are a vital challenge in our time, and therein lies the future of the Jewish people.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
