Questions tagged [marriage]
marriage, marrying, the state of being married; more specific tags are `wedding` and `intermarriage`
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What is the halachic source for objection to gay (civil) marriage?
New York State is considering legalizing gay (civil) marriages, so tonight on our answering machine we received a message urging us to pray that it doesn't pass because gay civil marriages were, you ...
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What is the point of having a rapist marry the woman he raped?
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (JPS)
28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 then the man that lay with ...
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Questions about Polygamy in Jewish Law and Culture
I've recently been studying polygamy (having more than 1 wife), and had a few cultural questions.
Was polygamy accepted at the time of David and Solomon? Were there any laws about it?
Was polygamy ...
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Taking a concubine (pilegesh) today
Moderator's note: As with all discussions of Jewish law on this site, any information included in this question or its answers is presented only for the purpose of understanding the relevant ideas, ...
user1095
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Saying "I love you" during nidda
While a woman is nidda and she and her husband are observing harchakot, is it permitted for them to tell each other, "I love you," or is that too suggestive of a statement for the nidda period?
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May my wife wear my jacket to keep warm?
The Sefer HaChinuch #564 writes that it’s forbidden for a woman to wear men’s clothing.
If it’s cold outside, is a woman allowed to wear a man’s coat to keep warm?
If #1 is a problem, are any ...
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What happens to the family of a Kohen today if his wife is a victim of rape?
What happens to the family of a Kohen today if his wife is a victim of rape?
What are the steps taken and how does this come to be resolved according to halachah and in the most constructive way for ...
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If a woman had more than one husband, to which would she be united at the Resurrection?
Ezra Stiles was a Congregationalist minister in Newport, Rhode Island in the late 18th century. He was a frequent visitor to the Newport Synagogue and there met Rabbi Raphael Hayyim Issac Carregal, a ...
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Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom text
Does anyone know where I can find the actual text of the Gezeira of Rabbeinu Gershom? It keeps popping up in my learning, but only as being referenced, I would like to read that actual text.
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Yaakov Marrying Two Sisters [duplicate]
According to those that say the Avos kept the Torah beforehand (here), how was Yaakov allowed to marry two sisters?
(Yes, I'm aware that there are many answers)
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Apologetics for marriage at 3 years old
Are there contemporary apologetics for the Mishnah (Niddah 44b) that a girl of the age of 3 can be married by sexual relations? (It seems difficult to accept that such a thing is even allowed in ...
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Can you see your wife unclothed?
I think someone in another question here (or on another site?) said he was told by his "chassan teacher" not to look at his wife unclothed. It seems like this is not the real halacha to me, or at ...
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Was it ever the norm for children to get married?
The Gemara describes many Halachos that apply when someone gets married at very young ages, many under 12, and even a few for the age of 3. There are stories of people who did get married at such ages ...
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Aside from the days set aside for impurity, what exactly is a man allowed to do with his wife in regards to intimacy? [closed]
A man cannot touch, stare, kiss or have relations with a woman he is not married with.
On the days when the laws of impurity do not apply, what exactly can a man do with his wife?
Assuming extra ...
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Why did Achashveirosh take Esther if she was already married?
According to the opinion that Queen Esther was married to Mordechai.
Achashveirosh was looking for unmarried girls (Esther 2:2–4). Why did he take a married woman? Especially considering that Queen ...
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Would a baalat teshuva need a get from each previous sexual relationship?
Would a baalat teshuva need a get from each previous sexual relationship? In light of the idea that marriage can be contracted solely through bi'ah/public knowledge of the couple's relationship (as ...
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Minhag of married women shaving during marriage
The custom for married women to shave their heads is, evidently, a fairly widespread custom that exists at least amongst (certain) Hasidim. I have heard a variety of supposed, non-authoritative ...
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Promised to name son Shimon - now husband is Shimon?
A woman who desperately wanted to get married traveled to Meron, the burial place of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai, and vowed that if she found her match, she would name her first son Shimon in his merit. ...
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What's the leading medical explanation for the "woman whose husbands keep dying" ("katlanit") phenomenon?
The Gemara says that if a woman gets married, then her husband dies; then marries another guy and is widowed from him; then once more; we then assume something about her is causing her husbands to die ...
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Is it ok for spouses to touch in public?
Are spouses allowed to touch one another in public (when the wife is not a niddah) or is this a violation of tzniut? I am asking specifically regarding touch that is not in any way sexual or even ...
user1668
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How does the kohein gadol's substitute wife work?
The first mishna of Yoma1 explains that before Yom Kippur, a substitute wife is prepared for the kohein gadol lest his wife die -- because the torah says he makes atonement for himself and "his house",...
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Can a Cohen marry a bat niddah?
Can a Cohen marry a bat niddah? Are Cohens generally restricted from marrying baalot teshuva because of the possibility that they may be b'not niddah?
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40 Days Before Conception
It is written somewhere (I don't remember exactly where) that 40 days before conception, it is called out in Heaven who that person will marry. However, if the person gets married multiple times how ...
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Leah: Isn't it enough that you took away my husband?
I have never had any understanding of this statement by Leah to Rachel: "Isn't it enough that you took away my husband?" in parsha vayetze.
The obvious truth seems to be the opposite: after ...
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Who was Cain's wife?
I saw this problem on reddit today and I think that we cursorily covered this in Tanach class. Who was Cain's wife? In בראשית ד' י"ז it says " וַיֵּדַע קַיִן אֶת-אִשְׁתּוֹ" but it never says who she ...
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Talis Gadol for Unmarried Individuals
In my minhag (and I believe it's minhag Ashkenaz), unmarried men do not wear a Talis Gadol (only a Talis Katan).
Why is this so?
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Can someone have more than one potential soulmate simultaneously?
I have been told from several different people that it is possible for one person to have multiple Besherts (divinely intended marriage partners, soulmates if you will) to choose from. He may only ...
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Would a widower observe Yahrzeit after remarriage?
If a Jewish man's wife died, he would naturally observe the Yahrzeit on the anniversary of her death. Would he continue to do so if he remarried?
My question comes from reading about the Yahrezeit ...
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Rape for a girl and is looking to get married
If a young Jewish girl was raped, what are the protocols for her getting married?
Is there anyone that she can't marry other than the Kohen or Kohen Gadol?
What are the halachot for these types of ...
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If a woman cannot have children, can she marry?
I've been doing some research, and I found a lot of references to the rule that if a marriage lasts 10 years and does not produce any children, the couple must divorce and remarry in a new attempt to ...
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Riddle: when would a couple be forced to break their engagement? [closed]
Riddle:
Chaim and Shprintza got engaged. They, their entire families, and their rabbis were all totally happy about the engagement. They didn't hide any information from one another. Chaim and ...
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Why is hair sometimes considered *erva* (nakedness) but sometimes not?
Why do people say that the hair of a married woman is considered as nakedness, but not the hair of a single woman? Isn't hair just hair? What if a man grew his hair long - would it also be ...
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Marital Prenups
In 1993 Rabbi Mordechai Willig, a Rosh Yeshiva at YU and a member of the Beth Din of America, drafted a prenup for use at Jewish weddings to avoid future Aguna/Mesorevet Get problems. The agreement ...
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Getting married in age order
Those that refrain from allowing a younger sibling to get married prior to an older sibling mention the verse from Lavan, "Lo Yaiose Kain BimiKomeinu Losais Hatziyira Lifnei HaBechira, In our locale ...
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Can the husband in a gentile married couple convert without his wife?
We are a gentile married couple and my husband wants to convert to Orthodox and I'm still not sure if I want to convert at all. I found out that the Conservative would let my husband convert and stay ...
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What is the source for the Kallah's circling the Chasan 7 times?
What is the source for a Kallah (bride) to circle her Chasan (bridegroom) seven times at their wedding?
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Called to the Torah before wedding
I recently received an invitation to a friends wedding and I noticed that it said he would be "Called to the Torah" with a date and time approximately 1 week before the wedding.
I am not Jewish, so ...
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Why did Avraham prefer the daughters of Aner, Eshkol and Mamre over Eliezer's daughter?
Rashi on Bereishis 24:39 says that
Abraham said to [Eliezer] “My son is blessed, and you are cursed [Eliezer was a descendant of Canaan who had been cursed by Noah], and an accursed one cannot ...
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If a Jewish couple is married through a civil ceremony alone, do Jewish marriage laws apply to them thereafter?
If a Jewish couple is married through a civil ceremony alone, do Jewish marriage laws apply to them thereafter? Assume no ketubah; perhaps a ring, but not necessarily 2 witnesses. Could one say that ...
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Does someone who dies very young have a soulmate?
As discussed in this question, the Talmud tells us that 40 days before someone is born, a heavenly voice calls out "This person is destined for so-and-so".
Not sure if anyone can answer this, but I'...
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Why should one have marital relations as if forced by a demon?
The gemarah (nedarim 20b) mentions that one of the reasons for having beautiful children is due to having relations "as if forced by a demon". Rashi there explains the term as either indicating that ...
user1668
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Wife not wearing wedding ring after marrriage
May a Jewish Orthodox wife stop wearing her wedding ring after marriage?
Can she specify that she will not wear it untill she has children?
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Marrying a wife that is older than you?
What example is there in the Torah about (lichatchila i.e a priori according to halacha) marrying a wife that is years older than you?
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Is a rabbi required to be married?
I have heard (I honestly cannot remember where...) that to be a rabbi a man must be married. Is there any truth to this?
I am more interested in knowing if this was true in the first century C.E. ...
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Can a Kohen Marry a Woman with a Non-Jewish Father?
Is a Kohen allowed to marry a woman who is the daughter of a Jewish woman and non-Jewish man?
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Non-Jew's marriage obligation
Does a non-Jew have an obligation to get married like the Jew does?
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Prohibition of a Kohen marrying a Zonah
In the prohibition of a Kohen marrying a Zonah (cf. Vayikra 21:7), what defines a woman as a Zonah? Is it just having had relations with a non-Jew, or does it also include having relations out of ...
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Blind and Marriage
The Gemara tells us that a man may not marry a woman without first seeing her because if she turns out to be displeasing to him then he will transgress the mitzvah of "Ve'ahavtah lerei'acha kamocha"(...
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What is the value of a (Kesuba) marriage contract?
In a regular Kesuba we give total 200 Zekukim Kesef. What is the value of that currently in US dollars? Also do you pay the value when you got married or the value at either death/divorce?
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Couples showing affection in public
Is there any specific prohibition that forbids showing affection with one's spouse in public? For example kissing on the forehead or holding hands, not more extreme affection actions of course.
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