Video: Former Chief Rabbi Insists That Compassion Shouldn’t Inhibit Us From Learning the Lessons of History About Marriage

Why marriage is so remarkable.In this video—highlights of a longer presentation at the recent Humanum conference—former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth, Lord Jonathan Sacks, says our culture today thinks it knows better than the wisdom of the ages, but the Western abandonment of marriage will go down in history as a terrible tragedy. The ruling class of any hierarchy stands to gain from polygamy and promiscuity, but monogamous marriage benefits the poor and powerless. Monogamy was a triumph for equal rights and what made the traditional family so remarkable is all that it brought together — sexual drive, physical desire, friendship, companionship, love, and the begetting and education of children. Today, all these elements have been divorced from one another — sex from love, love from commitment, marriage from children. But according to Rabbi Sacks, we should not allow our compassion for others to inhibit us from promoting the remarkable institution of marriage between a man and a woman. (For Rabbi Sacks' full presentation, visit Humanum's You Tube channel.)