What is the perfect way to channel the energy of  Tisha B’Av into action? The Torah portion immediately following Tisha B’Av corresponding to the 6th section of Parshat Va’etchanan  provides the answer   and it is contained in the section dealing with the Shema and especially the mezuzah, and provides profound lessons for shalom bayit.

The Shema – the Bedrock for Marriage

If you would ask what is the one prayer that epitomizes the essence of our Judaism and has sustained us for thousands of years – it is the Shema. How many martyrs in our history died with the Shema on their lips as they proclaimed their loyalty to Hashem. And likewise inherent in the Shema is the teaching that the JEWISH HOME and particularly in the context of Marriage is intended to become the physical expression of the spiritual elements embodied in the Shema.

The first paragraph of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9) personifies the core of our HOME and our marital relationships and begins with the commandment:

“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. And thou shalt love the Lord they G-d with all thy heart…..and thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thy house …”

The Heart of the Matter

Note that the emphasis on the “heart” is central to the prayer and is the pulse for a marriage. The heart is the physical depository for the emotion of love and note that among the first words of the Shema is the commandment to LOVE with all the heart.

The emotion of Love is the “heartbeat” for nurturing and sustaining a marriage without which the marriage will wither. It is critical that couples open up their hearts to each other as the basis of their partnership and certainly as the basis for being role models for their children. With the exhibiting of “love,” children understand that the home is a safe zone for........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)