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 templeThe 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 praiseEating 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 hospitalityIn 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.