Often we are blind to our own faults or at least forgiving of them. So, too, love encourages us to overlook and forgive our spouse’s imperfections.

When two people go into business together, their partnership is based on each person’s expectations of material gains. Such a relationship is not based on emotion, but on practical considerations. If each party treats the other decently and honestly, the partnership can last indefinitely.

Marriage, however, is different. Here the partnership involves heart and soul, worries and joys.

What makes this partnership prosper? Bride and groom hear the answer in those ceremonious moments under the wedding canopy: “Blessed are You . . . Who created joy and gladness, groom and bride… love, brotherhood, peace, and companionship.” Only with love, brotherhood, peace, and companionship can we establish a fulfilling relationship.

How are these ideals achieved? When a couple is well-matched in their temperaments and characters, positive emotions usually grow naturally and easily. Husband and wife soon sense a deep connection and gradually come to feel as one. If their personalities differ, just the opposite may occur: The couple may increasingly see each other’s shortcomings, resulting in a widening gap between them.

To prevent this, we must take the initiative in building a loving relationship right from the start. Just as we are often blind to, or at least forgiving of our own faults, so, too, should we overlook and forgive our spouse’s imperfections. We must identify and appreciate our spouse’s positive qualities—good-heartedness, intelligence, knowledge, capability, and so on. The more we focus on the good in our spouse, the more we will grow in “love, brotherhood, peace, and companionship.”

The Sages instructed us: “One who loves his wife as himself and honors her more than himself . . .  of him the verse says: ‘And you shall know that there is peace in your tent.’”