Mitzvah —
122
To marry a wife by the means prescribed in the Torah (kiddushin)
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כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֛ישׁ אִשָּׁ֖ה וּבְעָלָ֑הּ וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א תִמְצָא־חֵ֣ן בְּעֵינָ֗יו כִּי־מָ֤צָא בָהּ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְכָ֨תַב לָ֜הּ סֵ֤פֶר כְּרִיתֻת֙ וְנָתַ֣ן בְּיָדָ֔הּ וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃ - פָּרָשַׁת כִּי־תֵצֵא
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Deuteronomy 24:1 - "When a man takes a wife and is intimate with her, and it happens that she does not find favor in his eyes because he discovers in her an unseemly [moral] matter, and he writes for her a bill of divorce and places it into her hand, and sends her away from his house,"
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Family – מִשְׁפָּחָה
Marry a woman through proper Torah-prescribed kiddushin.
This mitzvah commands a man to marry a woman through kiddushin — the Torah’s prescribed method of establishing marriage. Marriage in halacha is not merely a social contract but a sanctification, creating a holy bond between husband and wife. Kiddushin can be effected through money, a written document, or intimacy, though the sages instituted that it should be performed with a ring under the chuppah. This sanctification elevates the relationship into a covenant under Hashem, ensuring the Jewish home is founded on holiness.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Ishut 1:1): From the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, marriages are sanctified through kiddushin before entering nisuin (full marriage).
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 552): The root is to establish family life in purity and holiness, ensuring Jewish continuity through proper unions.
- Talmud (Kiddushin 2a): Defines the three halachic methods of effecting kiddushin, with rabbinic practice focusing on giving an object of value before witnesses.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
