Happy Valentine’s Day from Moment
Whether you believe that Jews should celebrate Valentine’s Day in February or Tu B’Av in August, there is no question that love, both romantic and platonic, is important in our culture and history. Jewish people continue to connect and to love under the best, and worst, of circumstances.
Ask the Rabbis | What Does Judaism Say About Love?
Love is the gravity that pulls the universe together.
The Jewish expression of love is a triangle: love of self, love of another and love of God.
Read these and other commentaries about the meaning of love in Moment’s flagship column, “Ask the Rabbis,” where rabbis across the denominations discuss age-old questions.
Great Love Stories from the Holocaust
It is easy to find love in a beautiful place. But to find love in the shadow of death is most remarkable. The young Jews who, caught in the Holocaust, held onto life in ghettos, forests, transit camps, slave labor camps and death camps were indeed remarkable. Combining love with mourning, they began to rebuild their lives. Love was a gateway to the future: new lives, new lands, new homes and children.
Why tell these stories now? Each love story—mysterious, deep and forged in pain—has something to teach us. Read these inspiring Holocaust stories of love, courage, grace and spirit here.
Beshert—Destiny and the Jewish Soulmate
What is “beshert?” Where does the word come from, and what does it mean? The term beshert is most often used to designate a soulmate: the one person whom an individual is divinely destined to marry. How does the idea of beshert—or destiny—fit within Jewish philosophy? Explore the meaning of history of the term beshert in the Moment‘s feature “Jewish Word” column.
We’re Asking!
Below is a special selection of our Beshert stories. We hope you enjoy and find meaning and inspiration in them on Valentine’s Day and every day.
Beshert | Meant to Be?
For the first hour or so, it seemed like he was putting on airs, so I didn’t feel particularly interested. But at some point, he suddenly dropped the act. In retrospect, he remembers feeling that he was too tired to keep it going. He told me his mother’s memorial service was the next day, and he showed me the eulogy he had written. It was not a normal date. And I’ve never gotten to know someone so quickly. I don’t remember how I felt or how I reacted to the news of his mother’s death, but Tom remembers I took his hand.
Beshert | The Dance of Our Lives
Our first wedding dance was an Argentine Tango. Marrying a dance instructor, the pressure was on. Most grooms just have to avoid stepping on the bride’s feet or dress, twirl her a couple of times and make it through 3-4 minutes without doing the “high school prom sway.” I had to perform.
We chose the tango because once on a trip to New York City, we’d seen the Broadway show “Forever Tango!” and fell in love with the dancing. Learning it was an eight-month project.
Beshert | “I Get It.”
I’ve always been super confident in most things but faltered when it came to dating and love. I was looking
Beshert | A Tale of Two Converts
“When he sings Eyshet Chayil before kiddush, he reaches across the table for my hand. Not one convert, but two, we’re partners on the journey in the fullest sense of the word; soulmates, beshert.”
Beshert | “Apartners”—After He Buffed the Scratch on Her Car
Kenny and I knew each other for years. I’m a singer, he’s a drummer. In the club date biz, you
Beshert | Putting the ‘Fall’ in ‘Falling in Love’
It was a time of innocence for first-generation American teenagers like my mother, Eleanor Wolin. The wars in Europe seemed far away.
Beshert | Un-chickening Out
At age 43, newly divorced, I was not ready for what happened when a fellow temple member made me an innocent offer.
Beshert | A Life of Adventures and Surprises
Most of our adventures have been wonderful. We’ve met and become friends with great people, seen beautiful things, and have become part of people’s lives. (Some adventures weren’t so good; accidents, hospital stays, illnesses, and sometimes boredom and culture shock.)
Beshert | My Great-Aunt and I
I’m named after my great-aunt Lillian, my maternal grandmother’s older sister. She was born in Paris, France, in 1938 and
Beshert | Shareyna and Kim
Long before fused celebrity names like “Brangelina” (now back to Brad and Angelina) became trendy, my college roommate and I