Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
The 15th of Av arrives this evening. On the 15th of Av in ancient Israel, "the daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards,” and “whoever did not have a wife would go there to find a bride" (Taanit 31a). Traditionally, now is the peak of the wedding season but this year, unfortunately, it also seems to be the peak of the corona season. What do we say to all the couples who are getting married in a manner that is so different from what they planned and dreamed?
We can say first of all that the corona is temporary but the marriage bond is eternal. The devastation of the pandemic will pass, while the positive influence of a house built in Israel will last forever.
Perhaps the exhausting workshop of "how to prepare for a wedding in the midst of a pandemic" is the best training for married life. After this crazy beginning, all the trials of life that come later should be easy by comparison. Before the wedding, couples typically argue about napkin colors and flower arrangements. But now there are couples who have had to postpone their wedding date, change their banquet hall, and cancel hundreds of wedding invitations. There are couples getting married in a few days who still don't know where the wedding will be held and whom to invite. They only know one thing -- that they chose to create a home together and that's the most important thing.
They say that at the first wedding in history, the one between Adam and Eve, there weren't any guests. So God Himself arrived in all his glory to gladden the hearts of the couple. The feeling now during our corona weddings is somewhat the same: the number of guests is few but the joy and the holiness are keenly felt.
Let's hope that all couples getting married now will smile someday with their great-grandchildren - when telling them about their weddings in the time of the corona.
Mazal tov!
