"There is a paradox to freedom that limitation often makes us more free. A painting is made possible by the canvas; a violin string, as an eastern poet once wrote, is not free until it is strung up on a bow, when it is free to make music. As the Israelites leave Egypt, they approach Sinai only to be freighted down with laws, expectations and obligations. They are finally free, and on their way to be wed.
Sinai is a metaphor for marriage. Couples sometimes see marriage as an impediment to freedom, but to be alone is not to be free, it is to be alone. Freedom to love, to be close, to discover another—and to know oneself—is a freedom deeper than those who do not lastingly love can know.
In the garden of Eden, Adam was matched with Havah. Eve's name means "life," and in choosing her, Adam chose life. In standing at Sinai, Israel chose freedom. Under the Chupa, both bride and groom realize that to choose another is to choose life. If that choice is a wise one, it enables us to be free."