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What does the Torah say about intermarriage?
 The
Torah and the rest of the Jewish sacred literature contain
both admonitions against intermarriage and positive examples
of intermarriage. In Deuteronomy7: 1-3, the Torah says,
"You shall not intermarry with them: do not give your
daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your
sons. For you will turn you children away from Me to worship
other gods...." This reference against intermarriage is
based on the notion that intermarriage will lead the individual
to another religion.
Despite this, the Torah also portrays positive examples
of intermarriage. Moses married Tziporra, who was the
daughter of a Midianite priest. Ruth, the great-grandmother
of King David, was a convert. Queen Esther, who saved
the Jews from Haman in the Purim story, was married to
the Persian, non-Jewish King Ahashverus.
The prohibition against intermarriage sought to preserve
Judaism by maintaining exclusivity. The laws of kashrut
(keeping kosher) try to accomplish this indirectly. If
you have a special diet, you are less likely to eat with
non-kosher, non-Jews, and therefore, you have less opportunity
to socialize, and consequently, marry them.
That being said, it is evident that intermarriage is not
only a modern phenomenon; it occurred in the Bible as
well. Intermarriage is inevitable, especially in a society
where Jews and non-Jews work together and socialize with
one another with few barriers. Prohibiting it has not
stopped the trend. Realizing the realities of Jewish society,
the Jewish Outreach Institute works with the intermarried,
promoting an inclusive Jewish community.
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