Intermarriage II   Moshe Ben-Chaim     Intermarriage is something which we all must dissuade others from committing. The consequences include the cancellation of potential Jews, as all children born of Gentile mothers are not Jewish. The Torah in no way condones intermarriage, which is at the very core of the current destruction of the Jewish people. Many protective laws were instituted by our wise Sages to guard against intermarriage. If these wise men instituted such laws, let us take them as seriously as a vaccine aimed a saving our very lives.   All religions - other than Judaism - distort ideas regarding true monotheism. Intermarriage - an acceptance of other religions - is therefore a denial of God's word - to a high degree. It is an act which denies all the principles of the Torah. If one marries a Christian, he goes further and displays an acceptance of idolatry. God gave one system, Judaism. Marrying someone from another religion is an acceptance of that religion to some degree, and Judaism is intolerant of any degree of acceptance of alien notions. God's word and His Torah are perfect, not to be altered at all, as we are commanded not to add or subtract from the Torah, or to veer from the words of the Rabbis.   God selected Abraham as the founder of a new nation, as Abraham exemplified par excellence the ability to extricate oneself from the clutches of idolatry, to examine the world using intelligence alone, and arrive at the conclusive conclusion that there is one God, and His that man engage intelligence, by which he must make all decisions in all areas of life. God created from Abraham a great nation which would preserve and teach true monotheism, and the singular truth, to the rest of the world's population. In order to insulate these teachers from false notions, intermarriage was forbidden. It is for the good of mankind that there be one people who preserve and follow God's ideals, God's Torah, which is purely for mankind's benefit. If the teachers of Torah become diluted with the false notions of other cultures, God's plan for the world to realize the truth becomes compromised. Intermarriage is then a disregard for God's plan for mankind.   Think about it: God created man, and gave him rules by which he must live his life. He is rewarded for obeying them, and he is punished for violation. But, reward is not the only good. Man also lives the best life here on Earth when observing the Torah. God would not create man with such a great ability to achieve happiness, for the sake of steering him to an unhappy life. No, God wishes man to be happy, and He outlined a method for this happiness. But happiness is not simply "what feels good". Happiness is defined as what the ultimate good is for man.   At times, we feel this plan of the Torah impedes our emotionally-driven goals. But this is precisely when one must stop, and determine with his God-given free choice what will be best for him, not what 'feels' best. When one lives the life of Torah, he will in fact also 'feel the best', but one must realize that there is some pain involved. I mean the pain of altering one's life, from living comfortably in his heretofore habituated lifestyle.   All changes are difficult, even when changing for the better. But do not make the terrible mistake of confusing the "pain of change", with "pain of Torah adherence", as there is no pain in Torah adherence. Your pain comes from the redirection of your emotions to new areas of involvement. Moving to a new home, so much more luxurious than your present home, still carries with it some pain; the pain of breaking old ties, of moving, of establishing new friends, and of accustoming yourself to new surroundings. Even though there is pain, you still move. You realize the larger picture which you feel is better for you. The same applies here. There is pain in altering your life to follow Torah, but the pain must not be attached to the Torah's ideals. A bit of study will reveal to you the precious ideas contained in each and every one of our commands. Our God embodies ultimate wisdom, as seen from His creation of literally billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars, each approximating the size of our Sun. Amazing. This same God created the Torah system. How foolish one would be to sacrifice such precious knowledge from the universe's Creator, and follow his own emotions of the moment.   The prohibition of intermarriage does not mean you cannot find and marry someone you love. But it does mean that your selected spouse must not be based on romance alone. Your goal in life as a Jew should be to yourself first, and to service yourself, don't lose the opportunity you have, the one opportunity, to enjoy a true life, one where you indulge in wisdom, and act it out. A life where you don't simply concern yourself with your own, selfish desires for romance, but a life where you care to uphold truths for the rest of mankind. If you do not uphold the Torah, there is no way to calculate the number of other human beings who you could have enlightened through your acts of Torah adherence.   Abstaining from intermarriage means you care to create more Jews, and that you are concerned to secure God's plan that all mankind learn of God's truths. Violating and marrying a non-Jew means you care less about the world.   Try to think past the initial infatuation which accompanies many new relationships. As this emotional "high" dies out, you will be living with another person who does not share your ideals in every area. And many times, the differences result in divorce. "Who is wise? One who knows the results (of his actions)." Don't assume initial, emotional love will secure a good marriage. This intensified love ends. You require one who will echo your values, who will raise your children with a value system identical to your own. When shared values are absent, not too long after, so will be your marriage. There is much more to be said on this topic.