The Raavad explains that had woman been created from the earth as was man, they would have gone their separate and independent ways. Instead, Hashem created one from the other to demonstrate the need for them to live together as a single unit. This concept is reflected in the commentaries of the Ramban and Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on the pasuk, “והיו לבשר אחד — And they shall become one flesh” (Bereishis 2:24), which explain that “one flesh” constitutes one mind, one heart, and one soul. Indeed, the Zohar teaches that before uniting in marriage, man and woman are only a plag gufa, half a person.

Standing under the chuppah transforms two separate individuals into that single cohesive unit that Hashem intended. Maintaining that indivisibility, central to achieving a successful marriage, requires vigilant focus on

shalom bayis

.

As a pioneer in the field of Jewish publications in the English language, Rabbi Chaim Press began his luminous career with a holiday series entitled What Is the Reason? which became a popular teacher’s aid in the classroom.

His latest publications are:

The Future Festival: Laws, Traditions, and Customs of the Three Weeks and Tishah B'Av, Their Origin and Rationale, Concern for the Living: A Compendium of Laws, Traditions and Customs on Mourning; Their Origin and Rationale, The Eternal Bond: A Guide to the Laws, Customs, and Traditions of the Jewish Wedding