The Torah's View of Marriage: Man 'Acquires' Woman... What? | Aleph Beta

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“When Man Acquires Woman…” Wait, What?

What Does The Torah Say About Marriage?

Let’s talk about the Jewish view of marriage. Did you know that when the Torah talks about marriage in Bereishit, it says that a man “acquires” his wife? What is with that? Can you get any less romantic? But more than that, to our modern ears, it seems so primitive and backwards.

Does the Torah think that married women are just the property of their husbands? If this is the Jewish view of marriage, it’s positively cringe-worthy. But what if we’ve got it all wrong? What if “acquisition” isn’t about ownership at all?

Join Rabbi Fohrman as he explores this idea through the Bible’s first marriage: between Adam and Eve. A deeper look at this story helps us see that the Biblical view of submission in marriage isn’t sexist – far from it. It also answers some of the most fundamental questions about love: Why do people get married? What are we looking for in our love relationships?

Rabbi David Fohrman

Founder and Lead Scholar

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