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Why does halacha (הלכה) permit divorce for trivial reasons like burning soup, seemingly contradicting the supreme value of shalom bayis? The analysis reveals that willingness to divorce over minor issues indicates the absence of true marriage — a divine partnership where the husband provides vision (yud/olam haba) and the wife provides implementation (hei/olam hazeh).
This shiur explores the Torah (תורה)'s perspective on marriage through the lens of Parshas Ki Seitzei's divorce laws, addressing two challenging questions that seem to contradict Jewish values. The first question examines why Jewish law requires only the husband to grant divorce, while non-Jewish marriage under the Noachide laws allows either party to end the marriage by separation. The second question asks how the Torah can permit divorce for trivial reasons like 'burning the soup' when shalom bayis is considered the highest Jewish value. Rabbi Zweig explains that the Gemara (גמרא)'s teaching about marriage contains profound insight: the Hebrew words for man (ish) and woman (isha) both contain fire (eish) when God's name is removed. Without divine presence, marriage becomes two fires trying to consume each other in a battle for control. God places His name within marriage - yud in the man, hei in the woman - to create harmony.
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Parshas Ki Seitzei
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