Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site eosp1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!eosp1!robison From: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Judaism and Polygamy Message-ID: <1176@eosp1.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Oct-84 12:34:03 EDT Article-I.D.: eosp1.1176 Posted: Tue Oct 16 12:34:03 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Oct-84 06:36:01 EDT References: <1027@akgua.UUCP> <33@mit-athena.ARPA> Reply-To: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton Lines: 48 Ashkenazim are subject to a one-thousand year edict banning polygamy, that was promulgated by a well-known Rabbi in Europe. 1000 years is a long time, but, surprise! The 1000 years ended in the late 1970's. I made some inquiries and determined that apparently the halachic status of a 1000 year edict is that it remains in force, even after the 1000 years, until publicly terminated by people with at least the status of those who established it. (I'm not too clear about this, comments anyone?) In addition, there certainly is a tradition in Judaism of observing the secular laws of the land on such matters, so the status of the 1000-year edict comes into question only in countries that allow secular polygamy. The United States is in a peculiar condition in this regard, in that Polygamy seems to be nominally illegal, but accepted within various bounds of ostentation. Disaffected wives can initiate criminal procedings for Bigamy, and prosecutors who wish can do so also. In general, I believe that Mormons are never prosecuted for Polygamy, although Polygamy is now publicly discouraged by the leaders of that religion. I'm inclined to think that if the 1000-year edict were rescinded, and religious Jews then practiced polygamy quietly, not declaring it on their tax returns, they might get away with it. I would expect that polygamy would not work well among a society not used to it, since it seems to take some unusual mind sets in the participants to make it work. (For further info, listen to multiple wives of a Mormon on any talk show; they show up, from time to time.) However, Polygamy looks like a natural biological imperative for Orthodox Ashkenazim, so perhaps pressure for it will appear from somewhere. The tendency among this cultural subgroup is toward families with large numbers of children. There is also an excess (I think) of unmarried women. Families with multiple wives can manage large families, and provide for them, more easily, in some societal conditions. I'm not recommending any of this; I find monogamy more natural. I'm just curious about what's going to happen in the next decades in this little-examined area of (possible) social evolution. - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) allegra!eosp1!robison or: decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison or (emergency): princeton!eosp1!robison