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Are Jews allowed to participate in Valentine's Day rituals? Although St. Valentine's Day is originally a quasi-Christian holiday, it seems that some communities allow participation.* Which communities are these, to what extent do they allow participation, and what is the rationale for allowing it?

*(suggested by this article, which concludes, "...many rabbis allow Jewish participation in Valentine's Day rituals.")

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Adding any information in your possession that led you to ask the question (for instance, your basis for writing "it seems that some communities allow participation") will raise the quality of the question. – msh210♦ Feb 13 '12 at 18:42
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Why should a committed Jew want to "participate in Valentine's Day rituals"? There are many opportunities to honour our wives witin our own traditions. – Avrohom Yitzchok Feb 13 '12 at 21:33
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@Avrohom Yitzchok I'm not saying that any Jew does or does not want to participate in them. It is nonetheless a relevant question about Jewish law and custom. – SAH Feb 13 '12 at 22:32
@SAH That's great. I agree. – Avrohom Yitzchok Feb 14 '12 at 18:41

1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote accepted

Rabbi Michael Broyde discusses the issue in a post here. One of his major points is "that Valentine's Day is no longer celebrated even by Christians as a Christian holiday."

To quote his conclusion:
I think it is the conduct of the pious to avoid explictly celebrating Valentine's day with a Valentine's day card, although bringing home chocolate, flowers or even jewerly to one's beloved is always a nice idea all year around, including on February 14.

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That's 3 posts in a row with commentless downvotes. I hope I'm not establishing a chazaka... – Double AA♦ Feb 13 '12 at 18:19

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