Marriage

I have always understood that marriage is so holy that it is forbidden to interfere with another couple’s marriage in a way that might trigger its downfall, even if you perceive the marriage is bad. I know a woman who is a victim of domestic violence. Her husband is terribly mistreating her and denying her access to any resources necessary to get out. She does not have a car because he will not provide her with one and she cannot afford one, and anywhere she goes, she depends on either him or a friend for transportation. And because she does not have a car, she cannot get a job to have the money to live on her own. She refuses to tell anyone she knows, including me, that she wants to leave him. But I sense that she does. I have asked her if I can help her in any way, and besides the rides I give her sometimes, she won’t ask for help. I know that if she had the money and a car, she would be out in no time. She just doesn’t have the courage to ask others for money. If I raised money for her to buy a car and start a life on her own, would I be violating the prohibition against interfering with another couple’s marriage?

If there is a marriage between a Sephardic woman and an ashkenazi man, what are the children?

My wife and I have been married for 37 years. We have been very happy with our own relationship and had a lot of love for each other and a lot of career and monetary success and rich social lives. But we struggled and could not have any children and never did, which has always made us very sad. The other day, while cleaning the glass frame that houses it, I looked at our ketubah and noticed my Hebrew middle name is misspelled by one letter. The misspelling changes it to another common Hebrew name. The rabbi who officiated and one of the two witnesses who signed it are long deceased, and I have lost touch with and don’t know the whereabouts of the other witness. What should I do about this? And could this be the reason we could never have children?

Dear Rabbi, My husband is a convert to Judaism. He went through the process of conversion according to Halacha many years ago because he wanted to marry me. Since then, he has half-heartedly observed Judaism. He wears a kippah and follows the rituals and guidelines, but he only does so because these are rules he was taught and doesn’t seem to feel anything in his heart. This never bothered me until recently. After what happened in Israel, he has taken the side of the Palestinians. He talks constantly among his relatives and mostly non-Jewish friends about the ‘atrocities’ of Israel. When anyone tries to talk to or argue with him, he is the better, more powerful arguer. He thinks any sources showing the real facts are fake. I find this so embarrassing. I don’t want to divorce him. My marriage to him is otherwise good and we have children and want to keep to our family stable, but I have trouble putting up with this and can’t take it anymore.

My wife and I are both secular Jews living in the USA. We never cared about Judaism and always kept it a secret, but we were so touched by the events in Israel that it has made us think about who we are. We have been reading and watching YouTube videos about religion and we really want to be with our people and observe. We don’t live in a Jewish community, but we want to put our house on the market and move into one. We are civilly married to each other for many years and we have grown children, but we never had a religious ceremony and we have no ketubah. Are we required to undergo a religious ceremony at some point? Are we required to live separately until we do so?

Hello - My sister's wedding is in a week and she would like me to lead a prayer for peace (in regards to Israel and the world) during the ceremony. Would Oseh Shalom be appropriate for this? Thank you!

I have been married for 35yrs. I almost walked out of my wedding. I did not find my wife very attractive and had concerns about her personality & character. I wanted to date other girls but had lost a parent recently and was not emotionally ready. I married out of fear not faith. As is we have three children. My relationship with them is decent but could be better if it wasn't for marital issues. I'm tired of the hurtful exchange. I have not been intimate with my wife for over 15 yrs including my honeymoon. I am 60 yrs old now. What to do? I have thought of separating but remaining friends and be there for one another. But don't know how to go about it, not sure if right thing to do and not much money.