Thursday 28 April 2011

He Who Makes the Bride and Bride Groom Rejoice

"You are blessed, Lord our G-d, the sovereign of the world, who created joy and celebration, bridegroom and bride, rejoicing, jubilation, pleasure and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.  May there soon be heard, Lord our G-d, in the cities of Judea and in the streets of Jerusalem, the sound of joy and the sound of celebration, the voice of a bridegroom and the voice of a bride, the happy shouting of bridegrooms from their weddings and of young men from their feasts of song.  You are blessed, Lord, who makes the bridegroom and the bride rejoice together."


For many of us, tomorrow is a grand day.
Yes, I am a royal watcher. And like so many, I shall be up to watch and rejoice in the marriage of William and Kate.


I got up for Diana's wedding to the Prince of Wales, Sarah's to Prince Andrew and when Prince Edward married his bride.
It is far more than the fairy tale of happy forever after or the making of history. True, Diana and Charles divorced and Diana later died. Sarah and Andrew's marriage ended as well.


It is the risk we humans take when we join our lives with another.
But it is worth the risk.
My chief reason for rejoicing over the marriage of Prince William and his beloved Kate is more than being a sucker for romance. It has to do with the above: the making of the bride and groom rejoice.
In Torah, marriage is a commandment and there is a blessing in it. G-d is in the middle of every marriage whether the couple realizes (or likes it) or not.
G-d rejoices over every bride and bridegroom, yes, He dances at weddings.
Yes, there is alot of hype. Yes, many pounds are being spend by the royals on this wedding.
But then, I remember when Mark and I were planning our wedding; we heard the very same thing about our wedding What  big deal we were making, "how much are you two spending?" etc.
If Prince William and his bride asked me (and I know they won't) "don't sweat those comlaining about your big day. It is YOUR DAY. Go with the blessings of G-d and those who know you and live your lives. Love each other and make the world place through your marriage."
Many people told Mark and I on the day we were married, they would keep us and our marriage in their prayers. And knowing that people have been praying for us has made a huge difference in our lives.
I have an idea: how about PRAYING for William and Kate instead of complaing about the cost of her gown. Pray that they have a long and happy life instead of laying bets if the marriage with last or end in divorce.
Maybe if we start praying for folks insteand of running them down, we just might see the peace in the world we long for.
But then, I am a bit of a dreamer, aren't I?

1 comment:

betty said...

While I won't get up to watch their wedding (too early on the West Coast) I do wish them the best. I can only hope that lessons have been learned as they watched other marriages falling apart around them and they will be wiser to try their best to make theirs work until death does them part

betty