The Family Identity

1. Sharing a Common Destiny (Marriage)

In Jewish Marriage ceremony, the bride and groom share a cup of wine twice.
Wine in Jewish community represents happiness, festivity, and song.
(Symbolic acts of two individual lives have now become new way of oneness). 211
2. Lifting Each Other up (Marriage)
The Hebrew word Nissuin, one of the several words translated marriage. It
comes from the Nasu, married, which is derived from the verb Nasa, to lift up,
to bear, to carry. The concept of marriage underscores the calling of husband and
wife to support, bear, and lift up. It also implies mutual dependence, as each partner
carries the other along. 213
3. Support of the Community (Family)
The Hebrew word for family, mishpahah underscores not only the nuclear
family of mother, father, and children but also implies an extended family or clan. It
often refers to a whole social unit including parents, children, grandparents, aunts,
uncles, and cousins. (It is a group concept of togetherness and support of the
community, not isolation and fragmentation). 210-211
4. The home as a small temple
The biblical teaching about the Jewish family starts in the Creation account
and continues throughout the patriarchal narratives. This teaching can also be seen in
the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings to develop the Jewish model of the
Home.
After the destruction of Temple in Jerusalem and scattering of the Jewish
nation into exile, the rabbis began to refer to the home as a miqdash me at, which
means small sanctuary or miniature temple. The word miqdash (Tabernacle of
Moses in Hebrew Bible) comes from the Hebrew verb qadash, means set apart,
consecrated, or holy.
From this teaching, the home as a temple was to be set aside for the worship
of God (house of prayer), the learning of Torah (house of study), and the serving
of community need (house of assembly). As the abiding presence of God filled the
temple, each Jewish home was to be reflect Gods glory through prayer and praise
Eating together in the family was to be more than a physical function: it was
to be a spiritual instrument of religious service. Therefore, Dinner table of the
Jewish home was to be consecrated as the altar of the temple. Moreover, the family
sing songs around the table in praise of the Holy One and the father served as priest,
instructing (teaching, directing/ horeh (parent) = torah appers to be derived from the
verb yarah (cast, shoot, direct)) his family in words of Torah at the table just a in
Temple. Just as the Temple, Jewish people viewed the home as the center of religious
life.

5. Home as a place to practice peace (Shalom) and hospitality

In Judaism, one of the most important value is that of shalom bayit, a
peaceful home. Shalom comes from a verb meaning to be whole, sound, entire,
well, complete, perfect. Therefore, the value of the Jewish home (to be a healthy
home) is to practice living in harmony with one another in order to destroyed the acts
of sinful nature which include hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambition, envy and so
on.