Being a recent guest at an Orthodox Jewish wedding gave me pause to reflect upon marriage, commitment, lying and the value of one's word.

The bride circles the groom seven times while the Rabbi recites vows in Hebrew. At the end of the ceremony, the groom crushes with his foot a glass item enclosed in a white cloth, thereby sealing the matter.

The crushing of the glass by the groom signifies that suffering and pain have all been a part of Jewish history. So this act, during this happy occasion, speaks to the inevitability of sorrow and joy. The groom's act says, "regardless of pain, we will stay united because good sometimes come with bad."

We can all recount, as if it were a favorite song or poem, the vows spoken and pledged at a classic western Christian wedding. However, just in case you've forgotten or chosen to dismiss them from memory.

They are:

For better or worse

For richer or poorer

In sickness and in health

Forsaking all others

Clinging only to each other

Till death do us part

Are they mere words suitable and convenient for the moment or are they promises to be cherished and honored for a lifetime?

Who are we really?

Are we dependable?

Do we mean what we say?

Have lying, cheating, stealing, infidelity, adultery and broken promises become the new norm?

Have popular media serve to numb us over, eroding our value systems, in that we can shoplift a pair of underwear from a Victoria's Secret display counter as easily as we can jump into bed with our housekeeper, risking decades of marital bliss?

Is immorality that easy?

Are we chameleon-minded opportunists who flow in the direction of the prevailing wind a la Claude Rains in the movie Casablanca.

God help all of us if that be true.

We will be hard pressed to find or become a good and trustworthy husband

father

partner

friend

employee

soldier

citizen

president

or human being.