Hassidic Jewish Practice of Arranged Marriages

By Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2012.

09/25/12

Last night, on Turner Classic Movies, on Cox Cable, they spoke to the effect that it’s about Yom Kippur season, so they chose to present some movies about Jewish culture.

The movie I saw starred Rod Steiger in the role of a Hassidic Rabbi, and Maximilian Schell as an Orthodox Jew seeking to establish Israel in the land of Palestine.  (So, the movie was probably from about the 1940’s). 

The son of one of those fathers tells the son of the other father that Hassidic Jews have arranged marriages.

Of course, that was seven decades ago, but if you’re still doing arranged marriages, I would like to point out that that is contrary to scripture.

Consider the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers chapter 36:

Verse 5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well.
Verse 6 This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
Verse 7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.  (King James Translation)

“…to whom they think best…”    In other words those women can say yes or no to an offer of marriage.

Why would you want to have arranged marriages when God says the woman can say yes or no to an offer of marriage? 

Rod Steiger’s character, the Hassidic Rabbi, was very much opposed to the reestablishment of Israel without Messiah.  But as Steiger’s character was unaware of, the good news is that the Messiah has come, and his name is Jesus Christ.  He is Yeshuah, Ha Meshia.  This is very much to be celebrated!  

Frederick Hoehn,  a grafted-in Israelite, and a priest.