Torah as a Preparation to a Wedding
It is customary for the groom to be called to the Reading of the Torah on the Shabbos before his wedding.1
The reason for this custom:2 It is patently clear and obvious that connecting oneself with the holy Torah serves as the best possible preparation for all matters. This is surely so when one is preparing for so far-reaching a matter as establishing a “house in Israel”; an eternal edifice. It goes without saying that preparing for this most significant event is best done in association with the Torah. This is why on the Shabbos preceding the wedding, the groom is called to the Torah.
Moreover, Torah is the foundation of the world’s creation, as our Sages state:3 “The world was created by means of the Ten Divine Utterances [stated in the Torah]”; and “G‑d gazed into the Torah and created the world; it is the Torah that states ‘In the beginning G‑d created.’”4
Consequently, before establishing and building a Jewish home — marriage — a bond is formed with Torah.
Reading Torah — Not Torah Study
We must however understand why we specifically make this connection with the Written Torah, and, furthermore, why we do so by merely reciting the words without any explanation, with not even the simple explanation that is taught to young children.
Because, in truth, the most proper and successful manner of establishing a marriage is specifically and simply by reading the Written Torah — for:
Married life is fraught with difficulties: the worries and difficulties of earning a living, educating one’s children, and many more trials and tribulations.
The mind — even when filled with such good and positive content as the knowledge of the holy Torah — cannot remain steadfast and unflinching in the face of all these difficulties, temptations and tests. Pure and absolute faith, and a simple acceptance of the Heavenly yoke serve as the most potent forces enabling the person to withstand all future difficulties and challenges.
All this finds expression in being called to the Torah — reading letters and words of Torah without comprehension, symbolizing the aspect of the simple and unadorned acceptance of the Heavenly yoke. In other words, with this act, the individual does not cleave to Torah intellectually but as part of his faith and acceptance of the Heavenly yoke. It is from this act that the groom draws the strength to live a life of holiness and purity, and to build a Jewish home, a home filled with light and joy.
Assisting the Success of a Wedding
[Being called to the Reading of the Torah on the Shabbos preceding the wedding also provides unique assistance in those matters that are related to the results of a wedding, which are explained at length in this book. They are: a) The unification of the couple on a soul level; and b) receiving the power to bear children (as explained earlier).
The power to bring about the Divine action of unifying the two halves of a soul, and the power to have children — powers that emanate from the Infinite One — is provided through Torah, as Torah emanates from the Infinite One, the Essence and Intrinsic Being of G‑d.]