Sheva Brachot (Part 4)
A husband and wife are one soul, separated only through their descent to this world. When they are married, they are reunited again.
Zohar HaKadosh
The second of the Sheva Brachot is: Blessed are You, Hashem our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has created all things for His glory.
The premise of the second blessing is taken from the Book of Yeshayah. The prophet proclaims (43:7): “Everyone who is called by My Name and whom I have created for My glory, I have fashioned, even perfected.”
In the work “Beit Ya’akov” based on the teachings of Rabbi Ya’akov Leiner of Izhbitz, the author explains that everything in this world reflects the Divine. Our task is to reveal the sparks of Divinity that are present everywhere and, by doing so, enhance Hashem’s Majesty.
The Chidushei HaRim was renowned for his genius even at a very young age. One day someone who had heard of his precocious brilliance decided to find out if the young boy truly deserved his reputation. He came to the boy’s house to test his sharpness and said to him: “I will give you three rubles if you can tell me where Hashem is!”
The young boy’s eyes lit up and he immediately responded: “I will give you six rubles if you can tell me where Hashem isn’t!”
Within everything that we do and experience, we are obligated to do our best to uncover Hashem’s Presence, whether what we are doing is intensely spiritual and altruistic, coming with no real physical gratification, or whether it is something that brings us enormous physical pleasure.
When a couple marry, they are beginning the process of joining together in the most absolute way. No greater sense of fulfillment and contentment can be found than that of a healthy, nurturing marriage; building a home together brings an unparalleled sense of purpose and destiny.
And that is why, as the new couple stand under the chuppah, our Brachah is recited at the very beginning of the Sheva Brachot – even before the Chattan and Kallah are directly mentioned in the blessings: to let them know that there is more to their marriage than just their own feelings of gratification. A Jewish marriage has a higher calling.
Of course, the entire Jewish People wish that their married life be full of love, contentment and accomplishment, but the Chattan and the Kallah must also internalize to their very core that their union was created “for His glory”; that the ultimate purpose of a Jewish home is to bring more Divine splendor to the world.
This concept is so fundamental that even when a husband buys his wife fine clothes and jewelry, he should have in mind that he is beautifying the Divine Presence, who is represented in this world by his wife! So writes Rabbi Yeshayah Horowitz (Shnei Luchot Habrit).
In truth, enhancing Hashem’s Majesty in the world is not reserved for our home lives alone; it is something that each person needs to aspire to at all times and in all places. During a particularly traumatic and volatile period for the Jewish communities in Brisk and its environs, a group of Jews posed an anguished query to the Brisker Rav: “Rebbi, what will be?”
The Brisker Rav replied “What will be, I do not know. I am not a prophet. What I do know is that I must always strive to do what Hashem wants me to do.”
To be continued…
