Why Polygamy?

Posted on Mar 9, 2015 | 0 comments

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by:

Name: John

City: Kentucky

Full Question:

“In what century did the Jewish people stop the practice of polygamy?”

Rabbi Tully Bryks responds:

Polygamy was banned in most Jewish communities in the first half of the 11th century. The consensus among the leading Ashkenazik authorities is that this ban is to be observed indefinitely. Even prior to the ban, polygamy was rarely practiced by Jews and it was frowned upon.

So why did the Torah ever allow it? While one can never comprehend the infinite wisdom behind any of the commandments, here are a couple of possible explanations:

• In times of war, there could be situations where the female to male ratio is 10:1, 50:1 or even 100:1.
• In times of extreme poverty, polygamy enabled multiple women to be sustained. For example, the Talmud relates that a wealthy Kohen (priest) married 300 women in order to provide food for them, as the Kohen’s food (which comes from Truma) can only be shared with one’s wife and children.

Ultimately, a man who married multiple wives had to adhere to a cumbersome set of rules to help ensure that each wife was adequately provided for, both financially and emotionally. These rules may have been one of the reasons why polygamous relationships were so unusual.