Intermarriage
 
Moshe Ben-Chaim
 
 
Reader: I AM IN A GREAT DELLEMMA AS TO HOW TO INTERACT WITH MY BROTHER WHO RECENTLY MARRIED A GENTILE.WE BOTH WENT TO YESHIVA AS CHILDREN AND GREW UP IN A SHOMER SHABBAT HOME BUT AS NEITHER OF MY PARENTS ARE ALIVE MY BROTHER AND I HAVE GONE DIFFERENT WAYS ON RELIGION.I CONTINUED GOING TO SHUL EVERYDAY AFTER HAVING STOPPED SAYING KADDESH FOR MY MOTHER 2 YEARS AGO BUT MY BROTHER SINCE HAS DIVORCED HIS WIFE WHO WAS JEWISH ( ALTHO THEY DID NOT KEEP SHABBOS )AND MARRIED A GOY.MY BROTHER WAS A VERY GOOD SON WHEN MY MOTHER WAS ALIVE AND HE DID ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY ( AS DID I ) TO LOOK AFTER HER NEEDS.MY QUESTION IS HE ASKS ME MANY TIMES TO MEET HIS WIFE BUT IN CLEAR CONCIENCE I HAVE NO WISH TO MEET HER BUT WOULD STILL WANT TO BE CLOSE TO MY BROTHER.PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR VIEWS ON THIS MATTER. THANK YOU.PLEASE DO NOT USE MY NAME OR EMAIL ADDRESS ON YOUR SITE.
THANK YOU..
 
Mesora: If Avraham Avinu spoke with idolaters to help them back on the right track,why can't you speak with your brother for doing a lesser crime?
 
Intermarriage is something which we all must dissuade others from committing. The consequences include the cancellation of potential Jews, as all children born of Gentile mothers are not Jewish.
 
The Torah in no way condones intermarriage which is at the very core of the current destruction of the Jewish people. We even have many protective laws guarding against intermarriage. However, once one has intermarried, we must be objective about the new situation - however grave. Leaving all emotions aside, we should communicate with those intermarried, keeping our relationship strong, perhaps in time they will be exposed to ideas, eventually seeing Judaism's tenets as true.
Tell them about our site, but not so soon. First, reestablish a connection with both of them for now.
 
All other religions distort ideas regarding true monotheism. Intermarriage therefore is a an acceptance of other religions - a denial of God's word, and His Oneness. It is an act which denies all the principles of the Torah. If one marries a Christian, he goes further and he displays an acceptance of idolatry. God gave one system, Judaism. Marrying someone from another religion is an acceptance of that religion to some degree, and Judaism is intolerant of any degree of acceptance of alien notions.
 
God's word and His Torah are perfect, not to be altered at all, as we are commanded not to add or subtract from the Torah, or veer from the words of the Rabbis.


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