Rabbinic Views on Divorce

Rest Wishes to Our Relatives,

Friends and Patrons for a
Happy Hanukah.

ROBERT ABRAHAM

minded divorce laws as much as
possible.

By RABBI H. RABINOWICZ

Seven Arts Feature Syndicate

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Divorce is a subject people feel I Modern teachers recommend I
strongly about, one way or an- unanimously that better facilities I
JOYCE INSURANCE
other. And it is of interest to study I be provided for pre-marital educa- I
AGENCY
the Jewish attitude toward divorce. lion. This is parallel to Jewish I
21440 Grand River Ave.
In Judaism, marriage is extolled, teachings. The rabbis urge that I
Detroit. Michigan
RE 1-4500
elevated, and sanctified: "Whoso- marriage should not be based on
ever lives without a wife lives superficial qualities, such as looks.
without joy, without blessing, and dowry, or social status. "Favour is
goods'' Interspersed false and -beauty is vain, but a
without
HOLIDAY GREETINGS
throughout rabbinic writings are woman that feareth the Lord, she
invaluable dicta on the achieve- shall be praised." They stress fur-
ment of domestic bliss and the I thermore, that a man "finds happi-
KAR NUT CO.
avoidance of innumerable pitfalls. I ness only with his first wife," and
Be careful not to grieve your wife. that "if a man divorces his first
1 525 Wanda
because her tears flow easily."
wife, even the altar sheds tears."
JO 4-6990
Though marriage is regarded as The prophet Malachi proclaims .:
a "sttieture for eternity." Judaism
Let no man deal treacherously
recognizes that Utopian concep- against the wife of his youth, for r
.....a.elem.o.w.vealwammo• ■•■•••■■•■••=rwmatvamo '., dons' cannot resolve marital mal-
I hate him that puts away his
.; adjustments. Not for Judaism the 1 wife." It was therefore the solemn
Happy Hanukah
doctrine that 'Whosoever shall put ; duty of the rabbi to dissuade the
Heibert W. Kaufman ! away his wife and marry another,
parties from proceeding to the di-
.
, & Co.
•ommitteth adultery against her: vorce. `Do you know," he should
and if she herself shall put away ask them, that tomorrow people
Harvey M. Dubin
I , her husband and marry another. will say of you, 'this man is accus-
a
Agency
comrnitteth adultery." Nor the tomed to divorce his wives'? your
I
17534 W. McNichols Rd.
view "What therefore God has , daughters will become an object L
Detroit 35, Michigan
.......4 joined together let no man put of scorn and disgrace will fall on
..................,................
asunder." Unreasonably restrictive your children."
: divorce laws were not regarded as
In remote antiquity, Aaron, the
conducive to morality, stability or high priest, established peace be-
Hanukah Greetings
the
sanctity
of
family
life.
to Our Friends and Patrons
tween husband and wife. Through-
The Jewish attitude to divorce
out • the ages the rabbis were the
is based on the Torah: "when a
XIEHLER
trusted intermediaries patching up
man taketh a wife and marrieth
quarrels, repairing broken mar-
PHARMACY
her, and it cometh to pass if she
riages. carrying out the work which
finds no favor in his eyes be-
18018 James Couzens
modern marriage counselors do.
cause he hath found in her some
342-2233
Adultery, change of religion,

-

of

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Holiday Good Wishes

MR. and MRS.

SAM KLETTER
and FAMILY

19730 Chesterfield
Detroit 21, Michigan

HANUKAH GREETINGS

Xeo

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A Joyous Hanukah
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TY 4-2156

Best 1,t islics for a
Happy Hanukah

SAMUEL BRODY
& SONS

14411 Wc.;t Eight Mile
341-6000
Detroit 35

unseemly thing. that he writeth
to her a bill of divorcepient and
giveth it in her Wand and send-
. eth her out of his house.ii
Judaism attached no stigma to

public indecency, and inter alia
cursing her father-in=law in his
Presence (no mention of the
mother-in-law) were 'among the
many grounds for which the hus-
band could divorce his wife.
There were, however, two in-
stances where the husband could
not divorce his wife—viz., if
allegations of pre-marital infidel-
ity were not proven, and if
there had been seduction by the
hus b an d b e f ore the marriage.
Although the woman was not en-

Happy Holiday

HANUKAH GREETINGS I
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A. J. Marshall Co.

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spoiled a dish for him." The tol-
erant Rabbi Akiba adds: "Even if
he found another fairer than she."
The view of Shammai's school was
not too widely accepted. Josephus,
too. informs us that "he who de-
sires to be divorced from his wife
for any cause whatever. and many
; such causes happen among men.
' let him, in writing, give assurance
that he no longer wishes to live

t "
tens+is of her neighbour." The
u
ife's rights were further safe-
w
uarded and her status enhanced
g
Sherem of Rabbenu Ger-
h y the

how (960-1040); "even as the man
es not put away his wife except
ulu
f his own free will. so shall the
°. oman not be put away except by
w
h er own consent."
Legal dissolttion was further
d
iscouraged by the institution of a
Contract). A
K etuba (Marriage
m an was forbidden to remain with
is wife unless she had a Ketubah.
h
Li
Lest it appears easy to divorce
with her as his wife."
Ketubah had to
h er." The whole
Public opinion and changed
e discharged, "even if he had to
conditions gradually forced the b
ell the hair of his heed." The
non-Jewish Western world to re- s inimum amount of the marriage
in
lax its inflezi and uncompro-
ntract was 200 zuz for a virgin
mising religlo* doctrine of the eb nd half that amount for a widow qE
a
"indissolubility of marriage":
a considerable sum of money in

conversely Jewish sages were in-
ose days.
dined to restrict their broad- th
It was by no means ea s y to ob-
taro a divorce. After the moral
implications, and the financial
HAPPY HANUKAH
considerations, come the min-
utiae of the elaborate laws con-
cerned with the actual writing,
attesting and delivery of the
divorce bill.

Brady
Waste Material Co.

1533 MACK

Holiday Greetings
to Our Friends and Patrons

TOPINKA'S COUNTRY HOUSE

W. Seven Mile & Telegraph

KE 1-9000

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TR 5-2614

A man well versed in these com-
plexities had to preside at these
proceedings. "It is improper for
any person to interfere in these
matters unless he is learned in the
laws of marriage and divorce . .
For there are many points to be
considered and it is easy for a man
to err therein . . . This would re-
sult in invalidating the proceed-.
ings."
Jewish teachings seem to have
adopted the view that such as can-
not be mended should be ended.
without necessarily profaning the
sanctity of marriage. At the sane
time, methods of obtaining a legal
dissolution were rigidly controlled.
At no time, and in no case, was the
law to be "weighed in favor of the
least scrupulous, the least honor-
able and the least sensitive."

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
44—Friday, November 27, 1964

TY 6-2772

1 4100 Joy Rd.

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Best Wishes on the Hanukah

MORRIS
KOSHER POULTRY

CHARLES M.
CLAPSADDLE

601 E. 8 Mile Rd.
Hazel Park, Michigan

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Happy Hanukah To All
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Happy .Hanukah To

4c

*
:
J. Berkowitz and Family
*
TE 1-3755:
* 4825 Russell
*
yrsir********4r***********1 0

15800 Tierman

: divorce: it made superflous innu-
Vernier Road
, merable subterfuges for the nulli-
Grosse Pointe Shores
fi•ation of marriage. As a tal-
TU
4-3980
roadie teacher says: "As men dif-
fer in their treatment of their i
food, so they differ in their treat I
ment of their wives. Some men, if :
*
4t
GREETINGS
a fly falls into their cup, will put ;
it aside and not drink
it.
another
;
.
.
..
man, if a fly fall s into his cup w ill
CHRISTINA' S
tied to divorce her husband, ;
throw the fly away and then drink ; J " ewish law permitted her to sue *
DINING ROOM
the cup."
rough the court for divorce on a
The protagonists of divorce re-
umber of grounds. Among them *
TE 2-8537
personified
by
the
strictions were
ere: impotence of the husband. 'I 5007 Woodward
school of Shammai. according to ' hysical blemishes and his vow **********-************.ort
whom "man may not divorce his 1), at "she shall borrow cooking

wife unless he has fcsind un-
chastity in her." The schitn1 of
Hillel on the other hand avers
',:he may divorce her even if she

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Carry outs - Choice Liquor

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