In six days the Lord made heaven and earth.

What has G-D been doing since then?

According to Rabbi Yossi ben Halaphta, since creating the earth, G-D has been arranging Jewish Weddings. Not an easy task; in fact it is written that arranging a Jewish marriage (or any marriage) is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea.

And like the splitting of the Red Sea, a Jewish Wedding is a break in the otherwise logical fabric of our lives. A couple finds each other, falls in love and throws everyone they know into a turmoil.

For a Jewish Wedding, old friends often fly in from all over the world, single friends politely endure endless discussions about table settings, and parents are forced to relive fond memories of their own Jewish Wedding. Over and over again…sometimes for a whole long year or longer.

Yet, like the splitting of the Red Sea, a Jewish marriage also opens up the possibility of redemption - a taste of the world to come - for everyone: bride, groom, and guests.

As two people plan their celebration, they envision dancing, friends from "Side B" making friends with "Side B", old friends becoming re-acquainted, and a whole party of fun. And who knows, maybe a new shidduch* will form between guests!

*Sidduch - a Jewish marriage, in former times usually arranged by a professional matchmaker shadchan

When a man and a woman come together in marriage, it is as if an entire world has been created.

The Zohar,* a mystical text in the Jewish tradition, teaches that when a soul is sent down from heaven, it contains both male and female characteristics; the male elements enter the boy baby, the female elements enter the girl baby; and if they be worthy, G-d reunites them in marriage. The coming together of two such souls represents the culmination of endless chance events over countless generations, and therefore can be viewed as the work of Divine destiny. Furthermore, just as the creation of the world began with Adam and Eve, the marriage of two individuals represents the potential for further creation.

*Zohar (Hebrew) means splendor. A commitment between two people is splendorous - magnificent and brilliant.