Levirate Marriage in Beta Israel Ziv, Yosi
The review of rabbinic Judaism : ancient, medieval and modern,
09/2019, Letnik:
22, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Abstract
The halakhah observed by the Beta Israel community is decisive and extremely detailed. This halakhic system, which was preserved and transmitted from one generation to the next as an oral ...tradition, can shed light on previously hidden aspects of the early halakhah. This article the examines Beta Israel practice regarding the levirate marriage (yibum), including its rationale and sources. Beta Israel refrained from performing levirate marriage. This abstention is surprising, since Beta Israel possessed the written Torah, and the Beta Israel halakhah generally follows the simple meaning of Scripture. Why, then, did this community not observe levirate marriage as set forth in the Torah? The article provides a detailed explanation of the reasons and seeks intimations in Jewish literature throughout the generations of the Beta Israel practice.
The description of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5–10 has reminiscences with the same practice in Africa, especially isupo (levirate marriage) among the Yoruba of south-west Nigeria. The ...article seeks the relevance of this text in Nigeria in the possibility of levirate marriage still being of some socio-economic value to Christian widows and the society at large. It employs the historical-critical and descriptive methods. The work finds that in both the Hebrew and African cultures, levirate marriage served the purpose of raising children for the deceased, who would perpetuate his lineage and inherit his property. But in Africa the institution was most significant in providing economic and social protection for widows and their children. Unfortunately, levirate marriage is fast disappearing in Nigeria because of Western influence, particularly Christianity. The effect of this for many widows is abject poverty, by virtue of which some of them resort to illegitimate and dishonouring means to make ends meet. The work, therefore, concludes that resuscitating levirate marriage would be of immense socio-economic value to Nigerian widows and the society.Contribution The article is a contribution to Old Testament theology and Christian ethics. It proposes that levirate marriage can still be employed as a means of socio-economic protection for Nigerian Christian widows.
The defence of resurrection in Mk 12.18-27 has been understood in various ways, based on different reconstructions of the logic of Jesus’ citation of Exod. 3.6. These various approaches may be ...generally grouped under two broad categories: ‘present relationship’ hypotheses and ‘covenant/context’ hypotheses. This study evaluates those approaches, seeking to critique the existing covenant/context proposals of F. Dreyfus (1959) and Bradley R. Trick (2007) and extend their insights in new directions. In doing so, it focuses on citation context and similar reasoning in other early Jewish and Christian texts, including an overlooked analogue in Heb. 11. It will be argued that this context and these analogues lend support to a revised version of the covenant/context hypothesis that understands Mk 12 as predicating resurrection on divine faithfulness to the covenant between God and the patriarchs.
The law of levirate marriage (Deut. 25.5–10) requires the levir to marry his sister-in-law, while at the same time allowing him to be released from this obligation. This article argues that these ...inherent contradictory trends relate to the fact that the law forces the levir to marry a woman whom he did not choose. This coercion runs counter to the biblical laws of marriage, which predicate marriage and divorce on the man's will. Through a close reading of the law this article seeks to demonstrate the tension reflected between two contradictory values: that of raising up the name of the deceased, on one hand, and a man's right to choose the woman he wishes, on the other. It appears that due to the levir's aversion towards the widow the legislator allows this to prevail over the moral obligation, but does not forgo expressing disapproval of this decision.
Scholars have paid much attention to the attribute of hesed in the book of Ruth, pinpointing it as a pivotal feature and the main message of the book. However, the protagonists in the tale do not ...seem to exhibit hesed out of free will or as part of their natural conduct. They rather resort to such a maneuver in order to survive and extricate themselves from dire predicaments. This article argues that the virtue of hesed attributed to the protagonists in the book of Ruth reflects a mechanism for surviving in the confining communal structure of the Judean patriarchal society, which allowed limited social mobility. While the actions exhibited in the story can be argued to be an amendment of the previous generations’ perversions, the story effectively accepts and preserves the common inflexible social system.
The description of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5–10 has reminiscences with the same practice in Africa, especially isupo (levirate marriage) among the Yoruba of south-west Nigeria. The ...article seeks the relevance of this text in Nigeria in the possibility of levirate marriage still being of some socio-economic value to Christian widows and the society at large. It employs the historical-critical and descriptive methods. The work finds that in both the Hebrew and African cultures, levirate marriage served the purpose of raising children for the deceased, who would perpetuate his lineage and inherit his property. But in Africa the institution was most significant in providing economic and social protection for widows and their children. Unfortunately, levirate marriage is fast disappearing in Nigeria because of Western influence, particularly Christianity. The effect of this for many widows is abject poverty, by virtue of which some of them resort to illegitimate and dishonouring means to make ends meet. The work, therefore, concludes that resuscitating levirate marriage would be of immense socio-economic value to Nigerian widows and the society.Contribution: The article is a contribution to Old Testament theology and Christian ethics. It proposes that levirate marriage can still be employed as a means of socio-economic protection for Nigerian Christian widows.
This article contends that commentaries on the book of Ruth have overlooked an important legality—that of the daughters of Zelophehad—that may aid in understanding some of the legal and literary ...oddities in the story of Ruth. Especially, the regulation of Zelophehad's daughters clarifies several of the curiosities in the marriage scene in Ruth 4, such as why Ruth is required in marriage in order for the kinsman-redeemer to act or why Naomi is the beneficiary of the marriage between Boaz and Ruth. Furthermore, the regulation of Zelophehad's daughters helps explain the unique combination of levirate marriage and the actions of the kinsman-redeemer found in Ruth 4.
Tamar in Genesis 38.6–30 has conventionally been interpreted as either a righteous woman who restored the discontinuity of the line of Judah or a wicked woman who employed wit and cunningness to ...achieve her desired ends. This paper tries to reinterpret Tamar’s act by taking account of imagination, and the women’s perspective and experiences.
Uncertainty about the meaning of the problematic word compilation ומ×ת in its specific context in Ruth 4:5 creates a lack of clarity on the events which take place in Ruth 4. Such lack of clarity ...is reflected in the diversity of ancient and modern translations of this verse. It is uncertain whether the Moabite immigrant Ruth is described as also selling the land or whether she is merely seen as part of the sale transaction. The traditional view implies that a leviÂrate marriage is involved in the narrative of this chapter. This interÂpretation creates multiple juridical problems. This article proposes that a usufruct is sold rather than land. Understanding and applying this legal concept can correct the misunderstanding of the verse. The problem is approached through a syntactical and grammatical analysis and justified in terms of the ideology in the book of Ruth. It is suggested that Ruth 4:5 should be rendered with, “The day you acquire the (right/usufruct in respect of) the field from the hand of Naomi and from (the hand of) Ruth, the Moabite woman, the wife of the deceased, you (also) acquire (her) in order to maintain the name of the deceased over his inheritance.â€
