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An Introduction to Jewish Matrimonial Law
The Jewish wedding is both an exciting and awe-inspiring occasion in the Jewish life-cycle; but as momentous as it is, the ceremony itself is but one aspect of the greater world of matrimony.
To fully appreciate the complete spectrum of issues concerning Jewish marriage, Feldheim Publishers presents Arnold Cohen's An Introduction to Jewish Matrimonial Law. Written in clear and concise language which makes it a valuable tool for readers of all backgrounds, Cohen describes his book as "exactly what the title says: an introduction - setting out the principles and sources of the law and the debates surrounding it."
The author compiles a wealth of information that covers the principal marital issues. He begins with the background - the Biblical commandment to procreate, the advantages of marriage and proscribed unions. He then enumerates the various stages of betrothal and marriage, and the obligations and rights of a husband and wife. The book culminates with the termination of marriage, discussing such issues as divorce, a widow's entitlements, Levirite marriages, and the laws of inheritance.
On the importance of family life, Cohen writes "in the same way that parents are responsible for the physical welfare of their child, so are they responsible for his spiritual welfare. What better education can a child have than growing up in a loving family where the adults respect each other, children honor their seniors, siblings share with each other, and family life is conducted as a microcosm of what is considered civilization as a whole?"
An Introduction to Jewish Matrimonial Law addresses age-old and contemporary questions, such as:
What does the Mishnah mean when it states: "A man acquires a wife"?
Does a man have ownership over his wife?
The death of a husband allows his widow to remarry; is that because the marriage has terminated or is it a dispensation for her so that she should not be alone?
Do prenuptial agreements contravene Torah law?
These and similar debating points are elucidated with the opinions and rulings from a wide variety of traditional sources - from the Sages of the Talmud down through present-day commentators.
More than 400 fully annotated pages are packed into this thought-provoking work. A listing of topics at the end of the book before the formal index is of great value to any reader who is looking for a particular subject.
A valuable English resource for rabbis and lay-people alike.
About the Author
ARNOLD COHEN is an alumnus of Britain's Gateshead Yeshiva. He has given Talmudical lectures at many British venues, including the North West London Sephardish Beth Hamedrash; Hillel House, London University; Hendon Adass Yisroel; and the Hasmonean High School. He is also the author of An Introduction to Jewish Civil Law. Cohen lives with his family in England.
To fully appreciate the complete spectrum of issues concerning Jewish marriage, Feldheim Publishers presents Arnold Cohen's An Introduction to Jewish Matrimonial Law. Written in clear and concise language which makes it a valuable tool for readers of all backgrounds, Cohen describes his book as "exactly what the title says: an introduction - setting out the principles and sources of the law and the debates surrounding it."
The author compiles a wealth of information that covers the principal marital issues. He begins with the background - the Biblical commandment to procreate, the advantages of marriage and proscribed unions. He then enumerates the various stages of betrothal and marriage, and the obligations and rights of a husband and wife. The book culminates with the termination of marriage, discussing such issues as divorce, a widow's entitlements, Levirite marriages, and the laws of inheritance.
On the importance of family life, Cohen writes "in the same way that parents are responsible for the physical welfare of their child, so are they responsible for his spiritual welfare. What better education can a child have than growing up in a loving family where the adults respect each other, children honor their seniors, siblings share with each other, and family life is conducted as a microcosm of what is considered civilization as a whole?"
An Introduction to Jewish Matrimonial Law addresses age-old and contemporary questions, such as:
What does the Mishnah mean when it states: "A man acquires a wife"?
Does a man have ownership over his wife?
The death of a husband allows his widow to remarry; is that because the marriage has terminated or is it a dispensation for her so that she should not be alone?
Do prenuptial agreements contravene Torah law?
These and similar debating points are elucidated with the opinions and rulings from a wide variety of traditional sources - from the Sages of the Talmud down through present-day commentators.
More than 400 fully annotated pages are packed into this thought-provoking work. A listing of topics at the end of the book before the formal index is of great value to any reader who is looking for a particular subject.
A valuable English resource for rabbis and lay-people alike.
About the Author
ARNOLD COHEN is an alumnus of Britain's Gateshead Yeshiva. He has given Talmudical lectures at many British venues, including the North West London Sephardish Beth Hamedrash; Hillel House, London University; Hendon Adass Yisroel; and the Hasmonean High School. He is also the author of An Introduction to Jewish Civil Law. Cohen lives with his family in England.
448 pages, Hardcover
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February 9, 2020
Jewish law, as any religious law that needs to reinvent itself in a legal framework of modern democratic countries, can sometimes find itself being on a defensive side.
The mere procedure of get alone, which is a unilateral decision to divorce given by a husband to a wife, is disturbing for an outsider, and a source of controversy within Jewish communities, draws negative attention.
It is thus utterly important to present the law in a modern context, outlining how the law could possibly be if not compromised, but synchronised with the law of the liberal democracies, of which England – the country of author’s residence – is one.
Instead, the author picks up decisions and speculations of unknown rabbis of yesteryear with little authority beyond their small communities as a proof of ideal of a status-quo, where a wife (or a daughter, or any female for this matter) is left with very little in case marriage falls apart.
What appalled me the most (though the book offers plentiful material to be appalled), is author’s view on wife’s conjugal rights. The whole chapter portrayed women as insatiable beasts, whom a poor husband should satisfy, as he is obliged to do so by law. What you gotta do with that nymphomaniac beast of a wife, the chapter asks rhetorically.
One could read through the lines that the author endorses and enjoys inequality that is, while rooted in the Jewish marital law, is being re-considered by the modern rabbis. One mere example of a ruling where a widow would be “overly” protected drew his “It cannot be so!” exclamation.
It is true that Jewish matrimonial law is complex, favours a husband, and in many provisions follows medieval code of morality incompatible with modernity. That is why we have schools of legal thought, individual scholars and rabbinical associations working closely with religious authorities to level out the juridical inequalities between a wife and a husband assumed by the Jewish law; to bring it to the standards of today’s democratic view of a marriage contractual bill.
What I mean to say is: it’s not too bad. What this book describes, is a fantasy of the author on how wonderful it would have been should the rulings described in the books be perpetuated.
I wish that any Jewish couple who intends to marry would never pick up this misogynistic book as their guide to marriage.
The mere procedure of get alone, which is a unilateral decision to divorce given by a husband to a wife, is disturbing for an outsider, and a source of controversy within Jewish communities, draws negative attention.
It is thus utterly important to present the law in a modern context, outlining how the law could possibly be if not compromised, but synchronised with the law of the liberal democracies, of which England – the country of author’s residence – is one.
Instead, the author picks up decisions and speculations of unknown rabbis of yesteryear with little authority beyond their small communities as a proof of ideal of a status-quo, where a wife (or a daughter, or any female for this matter) is left with very little in case marriage falls apart.
What appalled me the most (though the book offers plentiful material to be appalled), is author’s view on wife’s conjugal rights. The whole chapter portrayed women as insatiable beasts, whom a poor husband should satisfy, as he is obliged to do so by law. What you gotta do with that nymphomaniac beast of a wife, the chapter asks rhetorically.
One could read through the lines that the author endorses and enjoys inequality that is, while rooted in the Jewish marital law, is being re-considered by the modern rabbis. One mere example of a ruling where a widow would be “overly” protected drew his “It cannot be so!” exclamation.
It is true that Jewish matrimonial law is complex, favours a husband, and in many provisions follows medieval code of morality incompatible with modernity. That is why we have schools of legal thought, individual scholars and rabbinical associations working closely with religious authorities to level out the juridical inequalities between a wife and a husband assumed by the Jewish law; to bring it to the standards of today’s democratic view of a marriage contractual bill.
What I mean to say is: it’s not too bad. What this book describes, is a fantasy of the author on how wonderful it would have been should the rulings described in the books be perpetuated.
I wish that any Jewish couple who intends to marry would never pick up this misogynistic book as their guide to marriage.
Displaying 1 of 1 review