0

Torah doesn't prohibit polygamy. However, most western country, including Israel prohibits that.

However, not only Torah doesn't prohibit polygamy, Torah doesn't prohibit having concubinage. It seems Hashem allows a pretty wide range of arrangements.

We don't even have consensus if sex outside of marriage is sin or not Did what David do to Batsheba and Uriah technically legal (not sin?). But let's presume that sex outside marriage is indeed sin, like what most christians think (again no consensus over there either)

So why not have concubines or philegesh?

In fact, is there any way any pious jew can have several women without breaking both the halacha and civil code?

I mean if you do it outside marriage, then it (at least according to most people here) a sin, but legal.

If you do it within marriage, it may not be a sin (halachically), but illegal.

So is there any way to have several women that are both halachically and legally correct?

  1. The man have sex with many women
  2. Produce living offspring that can be used as heirs
  3. Financially supporting the children and women.

NB: As far as I know, there is no way to keep it politically correct. But at least, is there any way this can be done legally and halachicallycorrectly?

Community
  • 1
user4951
  • 4,343
  • 4
  • 34
  • 56
  • 1
    Related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/13984/472 – Monica Cellio Jul 02 '15 at 12:47
  • Just because it hasn't been stated outright here yet, I will comment that having multiple wives is halachically impermissible at least for Ashkenazim. – Daniel Jul 02 '15 at 13:53
  • First of all, when you ask about legal issues, you're probably taking the question out of scope for Mi Yodeya. – Seth J Jul 02 '15 at 14:03

1 Answers1

4

Move to Yemen, where the ban on polygamy never caught on.

(Of course in today's Yemen, you'll likely wind up with 2--3 wives, as well as 20--30 bullet holes ... but oh well.)

Shalom
  • 132,602
  • 8
  • 193
  • 489
  • Methinks the downvoters lack a sense of dark humor ... – Shalom Jul 02 '15 at 13:32
  • What's wrong with this answer? (+1) – Daniel Jul 02 '15 at 13:50
  • 1
    IIRC this would only work when the man was not previously married in a country where polygamy is not practiced. If he is, he would need his wife's permission. – user6591 Jul 02 '15 at 15:14
  • Even many standard Mizrahi kethubboth have to have a clause that says he won't take another wife, something missing from Ashkenazi kethubboth since Ashkenazim took on the ban of Gershom. The standard Sephardic kethubbah i was planning on using said i would never take another wife without permission from the beith din, which did not satisfy my wife. so i had to draft my own kethubbah from scratch saying i wouldn't marry another wife without HER permission – Aaron Jul 02 '15 at 16:40