Do orthodox jews still practice Polygamy?

Question

as Daved had 3 wives and solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines in order to replace the dead fathers that are slain in battle, do they still multiple wives to account for the slain in todays wars?

Answer 1

no, they don't practice polygamy.

Answer 2

SOme.

In Europe, around the 10h century, the greatest European Jewish scholar, Rabbenu Gershom, took a second wife. His first wife then tried to have him killed. After he was rescued through his sharp wits and the help of his second wife, he got to thinking. He decided that modern women were more jealous than women of previous generations, and the pain they feel when their husband takes a second wife is equivalent to deminished support from him. Deminished support for the previous wife (or wives) is forbidden under Jewish law, if a man wants to take a second or third wife. (Or more.)

He wrote up a paper banning polygamy for the next thousand years. HIs paper, however, could only be binding on those communites that accepted it. Most of Europe (Greece, Italy and Spain being exceptions) did, most of the Jewish communities in North Africa and Asia did not.

So those Jews who still live in countries where polygamy is allowed, and are members of the communites that did not accept Rebbenu Gershom's ban, still do practice polygamy.

I'm not certain polygamy is allowed in Iran, but there are 26,000 Jews there, so if it is, that's probably a good place to look for multiple wives.

In the State of Israel, there are older men with more than one wife, because they arrrived from Yemen or Morrocco with them, and refuesed to divorce one. (And why should they if they are all a happy home.)

Even in countries without polygamy and where Jews accepted the ban, there is a limited situation where a man will have a second wife. In Jewish law, if people divorce, the husband has to give his wife a special paper called a get, and a bunch of money called a Kesubah. (Which is also the name of the paper he gives her at the wedding promising this money if he should divorce her.)

It sometimes happens that Jews aren't religious, get married, get divorced, and don't know they are supposed to give a get. The husband will then become religious, want to give a get, but the wife will think its a stupid out dated practice and not accept it. Most raqbbis will allow him to remarry. He is divorced and remarried according to the law of the US, but Jewish religious law would see him as a man with two wives, since the GEt was not accepted.

It happened frequently after the War, that men would believe their wives were dead in the camps, and get remarried. Jewish law does not require them to divorce either wife, if the first wife is found alive. (Obviously in practical terms, he's going to have to work something out.)

Answer 3

Polygamy was only practiced by royal families. Yes, Solomon probably did have 700 wives and 300 concubines -- makes it difficult to trace the line of David, doesn't it????
.

Answer 4

King Solomon had 1,000 wives, and Orthodox Jews have not practiced polygamy for more than a thousand years.

Answer 5

In some Middle Eastern countries (where they still practice polygamy) polygamy was practiced by a few till The 20th century.

In Europe Jews banned Polygamy for the last 1,000+ years.

Answer 6

Polygamy was usually only practiced in certain circumstances. Because of problems that come along with polygamy (2 mothers-in-law HA!) the Rabbis forbade it about 1000 years ago. The ban covered all of European Jewry and most other areas accepted it also.

Answer 7

Don't you think you're overexagerating it a bit. 700 wives?

No they don't. In fact, orthodox men are not allowed to look at other women in the eyes, and vice versa.

Answer 8

No, it was outlawed 1000 years ago by a great Rabbi.