Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron talks about the Torah portion of Ki Teitzei and the deep connection between husband and wife, God and people.
Shalom my friends, this is Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron standing here in the hills of Yerushalayim. I am here attending a wedding of dear family friends.
The headquarters all soulmates are headquarters of marriage. The mitzvah to betroth a wife and to build a new house is in this week’s parsha.
Parshat Ki Teitzei the Torah says כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִישׁ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה when one betroths a wife. All the laws of marriage are learned out from this week’s parsha and also from Abraham betrothing Sarah and purchasing the Cave of Machpela on behalf of Sarah Imenu.
We all understand the connection of husband and wife. We want it to be an eternal connection. We want the connection to be not just a biological connection or a hormonal connection, not just based on external common interests of common backgrounds or common family values. But we also want it to have this deep, deep soul connection. A connection of not only that which is seen.
And just like in Hebron, the Maarat Hamachpela has this unbelievable cave within a cave. Something so deep and hidden, something that stays for eternity. A connection of Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, Yaakov and Leah.
So too we want the chatan and kallah — the bride and the groom — the newlyweds to have this connection. Not only that which is seen, but even that which can’t be seen.
Today this is the season of soulmates. There are so many weddings going on. The love should be so deep. The connection between bride and groom should be so deep that it stays for all eternity.
And we should be able to build that כִּ֤י תִבְנֶה֙ בַּ֣יִת חָדָ֔שׁ that “new house” that’s described in the parsha, an eternal house, that house that will last infiniteness, forever and forever.
We should all be zoche to the great mazel tov. Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Am Yisrael in the great wedding in Hodesh Elul. Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li — I am unto my beloved and my beloved is unto me.
Mazel tov, mazel tov.
