From: RFaussette@aol.com
Date: Sun Feb 16 2003 - 08:53:55 EST
In a message dated 2/16/03 5:49:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,
dfwinterstein@msn.com writes:
> First, I believe God's marriages are true marriages, not metaphors, if
> that's what you're referring to. It's just that we need to redefine, to
> generalize, what we mean by marriage and sexuality. I realize I'm using
> familiar concepts in very unfamiliar ways, and a lot of detailed
> explanation will be necessary to convey the meanings I intend. For now
> we'll just have to live with misunderstandings. But I request readers to
> keep in mind that the Bible clearly refers to God's marriages to Judah and
> Israel in several OT passages, and no one can prove that the basic facts
> conveyed by these references are not to be taken literally.
>
>
Let me just mention, without disagreeing with you, the Jewish view of the
sacredness of women. The orthodox view is that the sacredness of a woman is
identical to the sacredness of Temple utensils (like the ones Nebuchadnezzar
carried away). However, the sacredness of Temple utensils is conditional.
Temple utensils are only considered sacred when they are being used in Temple
service, therefore Nebuchadnezzar did not profane the Temple utensils he
stole, because they were no longer in Temple service once he took them and
were ordinary utensils. A woman' sacredness then in orthodox Judaism is that
she is only sacred when fulfilling her wifely duties, which are submitting to
her husband and bearing children. I would suggest that the metaphor/true
marriages of God are based on this conditional sanctity and that the message
is this. God's brides need submit to God and be in Temple service to be
sacred. I would expect that all of the traditional elements of Jewish
marriage are applicable in the marriages of God for example, to the
Israelites. We know from the OT how badly the ancient Hebrews fulfilled their
Temple service and in doing so lost their married sanctity by not doing
Temple service. I believe this is a metaphor for that going in and out of
God's service. More than that I cannot personally get out of God's marriages.
The idea of the sacredness of women comes directly from Maurice Lamm's The
Jewish Way in Love and Marriage, Harper and Row, 1980. The marriage contract
and what it means to be married are discussed at length. I recommend it
highly. Maurice's brother and mentor Norman was president of Yeshiva
University.
rich
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