It’s a misnomer that the key to a great marriage is balance. The key to a great marriage is not falling off the teeter totter. Some days one partner flies high with the other supporting their adventures and other times, the opposite partner is holding strong, watching their loved one soar. As two rabbis married to each other, we have fallen plenty of times. But we are crafting a dance in which we learn to hold each other.
The secret is honoring each other’s dreams. A partnership falls short when someone’s dreams obscure the other’s. We strive to dream with and for each other.
There is a custom for students to accompany and encourage their rabbi along the way. Another custom is that a rabbi is supported on their disciple’s shoulders. We are fortunate. Grateful to be engaged in a sacred synagogue community, with steady shoulders to stand on—husband for wife and wife for husband. To listen to a rabbi on the bimah is impressive, but to witness that same rabbi as a loving parent and spouse in our home and experience that same rabbi as a teammate—that is when we know…together, we stand taller, every single day.
Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman are rabbis at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. They are husband and wife and parents to Annie, Zachary, and Henry. www.sinaitemple.org
