Re: mitzvot music

[I. Oppenheim <i.oppenheim...>]

Susan,

> subheading The Wedding Vows and the Ring identify the
> following as the wedding vows... : Behold, thou art
> consecrated unto me with this ring according to the
> law of Moses and of Israel.

This is not a vow of any kind. It is just the
traditional *Hebrew* formula by which the groom
expresses that he wishes to marry the bride according
to Jewish law. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Ketuba is also not a vow. It's just an alimentation
contract written in *Aramaic*, that the groom concludes
with his bride. A purely legal affair, that was
introduced by the Sages to improve the economic
security of women.

Both of these have nothing in common with the Christian
practice of "Wedding vows," in which the couple
promises to stay together until death. In Judaism, a
divorce is totally allowed, unlike in traditional
Christian thinking.

Groeten,

  Irwin Oppenheim
  i(dot)oppenheim (at) xs4all(dot)nl
  www.chazzanut.tk

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