Jewsih Traditions

There are several views around the world in regards to the concept of love, but can society deem a right and a wrong? Over the years, different people, different cultures, and different time periods, have thought about what symbolizes love. Questionably, does the human kind have an accurate hypothesis about love, and what it really means "to love"? Well, as mentioned before there are many diverse thoughts and conjectures about love in different civilizations, but perhaps the two most contrary beliefs would be the Jewish approach to love and the Western view of love.

To most orthodox Jewish people, love is being able to follow your traditions and instill them into your children as well; whereas tradition in the Western world(s) holds little to no importance in any way. As the film "Fiddler on the Roof" portrayed, the Jewish people are traditional folk, especially the orthodox; for the Jewish people following their tradition is the ultimate objective of their lives. Therefore thinking for themselves only applies when there is not a tradition established; for example if there is not a tradition which guides a Jew how to keep warm in the winter, then only will he figure something out to get rid of the cold. What this means is simply this, since there is a tradition established on how one should love, the Jewish public abides by that tradition. For the Jewish people, as well as Tevye the protagonist of "Fiddler on the Roof", love symbolizes support for the family, looking after the happiness of their children, and but of course the worship of God. These views drastically change in most Western civilizations.

The Western world has a different mindset than many cultures in the East; as a result the concept of love and its portrayal also transforms in the West. In the West, society considers love as something that provides self delight, and eventually something which aides in fulfilling sexual desires. As you may understand, both conceptual comprehensions are quite diverse, yet both continue to influence the world to this date. An individual, who follows the Western "philosophy", would accept love only when portrayed through elegant gifts, expensive dinners, and 30 karat diamond solitaire rings, yet is the portrayal of love limited to material? Certainly not, this is best proven through the selflessness of Tevye, he did everything in his hands for the safety and happiness of his daughters, without fearing the response of his wife, Golde, or the Rabbi, let alone his Jewish brothers. The Western approach to love is vastly based upon personal satisfaction, while the Jewish people have founded their idea of love upon traditions, therefore they are perhaps more successful than the average western family.

With an astoundingly high marriage stability rate, the Jewish people are known to have to least amount of divorces, possibly because their religion disapproves of it. As viewed