Polyandry and Polygamy In Judiasm

Question

What is rule and constraint on Polygamy and Polyandry in Jewish Rule? Is that allowed or prohibited? In both case either allowed or not, give me explanation on it.

I found one or two question on Polygamy but no one discussed about polyandry

Answer 1

There are commonly two answers given as to why its ok for a man to marry multiple wives, but not ok for a women to marry multiple husbands.

1. Since tribal affiliation is determined by the father, and eventually land distribution as well, it would create a conflict since you can never really be sure who the father is. However, you should seemingly always know who the mother is.

2. There is a theory that the only reason why a man is allowed to marry two wives in the first place, is so that there is a method for society to take care of women, who otherwise would not be able to get work and be cared for. Since it is assumed that a man can get along as a single person just fine in society, there is no reason for a woman to marry an extra man. Except for orphans, or the extremely poor or sick, there is no special commandment to take care of the Widower. However, there is a commandment to take care of a widow.

   2a. (Kabbalah) By the nature of the way that humans pro-create, a Woman is designated as a "receiver" (egg) and a man is designated as a "giver" (sperm). In marriage, this is also true, and the man is obligated to give and take care of his wife, however a wife has no similar obligation to her husband. A woman having two husbands, would seem to be a situation where you have the "receiver" being in the dominant position of who can "give", and would thus be a distortion of roles, similar to the prohibition of a woman not being allowed to wear men's clothing and visa versa.

Answer 2

In terms of polygamy, see the answers to this question: Questions about Polygamy in Jewish Law and Culture

In terms of polyandry, the Bible explicitly forbids it as a capital crime in Leveticus 18:20 and 20:10