I have often thought about this subject. I know that Biblically it has always been acceptable to Am Yisrael till some rabbinical ruling a thousand yrs ago. But my reasoning for allowing it is this. Our numbers have always been very very small. Its been a major fete that we have survived at all. But what troubles me most is the amount of many many single Jewish woman around unmarried. Yes in theyre 20's they may have been princesses requiring Kings (dont take me literally, you know what I mean). In theyre 30's willing to compromise but then no men around, most are already married. In theyre 40's, well its a problem. He may already have a family she just wants to get started. In Israel alone there are so many nice Jewish woman who pray for families and to be able to have children. And rightly so. Why should theyre wombs have to remain 'baron'. Some have strayed to find anything available. Some 'marry' the religion. But most are lonley and childless, what for? If I was the 'new king' of Israel I would decree a jewish man may marry up to x wives. Not solely for his sexual gratification as may be found in other cultures. But for the higher purpose of Am Yisrael. To strengthen it, to welcome unmarried woman to come into an existing family unit and be able to bear children of her own. I realise that it can cause trouble and contention in families, however Am Yisrael seeks to acheive a higher goal. Avodass Hashem if you like. So thereby jealousy or inter feuding may be reduced to a minimal. I would decree this for a period of 100 yrs to be revised in the future if still acceptable and the way to go. By this time Am Yisrael may be a healthy strong 60 million, whats wrong with that? Remember in Galut they are all dying out. Why this exclusivity of 1 to 1. In Halacha if a woman cant bear her husband children he should divorce her for another that can. Why divorce? throw her to the dogs? Is that fair? Why not like Sarah to Abraham, take another only Abraham didnt throw her to the dogs so to speak.

In the article ...Rabbi Levi Brackman More than one lover Should bigamy remain illegal just because we don’t like it? I think this Rabbi is an idiot. He himself may not be an idiot and I do not wish to engage in arguemnts ad hominum but his reasoning is idiotic and shameful for a Rabbi.

Seems to me strange that a husband should have multiple wives that he's unable to sexually satisfy whereas a woman can easily satisfy many men. I don't think that Rabbi Levi Brackman is 'instinctively' guided in this issue but is simply affected by his upbringing. I don't feel one way or the other about it. If several women are happy with one many or vice versa then good for them. Much better than being unhappy with one partner which more than 50% of people are.

Bigamy is just an excuse for a man to cheat on his wife and not feel quilty.

If we accept poliandria (many men as husbands) could not that be complicated at the time of babies father recognition? Becouse OF COURSE, I imagine you are not leaving this out of the question ARE YOU???

Neither Judaism nor Islam prohibit polygamy; it is a purely Xian invention. I do not plan to marry more than one woman or be in a relationship with anyone other than my wife, but the Jewish religion expressly allows pologamy and this should be recognized by law. Of course, polygamy should work both ways: a woman should be allowed to practice it, too.

Non-monogomous relationships have a horrendous effect on families and societies. One only needs to read the Bible to see how many serious problems were created by non-monogomous marriages. Polygamy has virtually destroyed the rights of Muslim women world-wide. Many of the most serious ills of Beduin society are due to innovations (marriage between cousins) that resulted from families trying to protect their daughters from the abuse suffered in polygomous marriages sanctioned in Islam. One only has to visit Rahat to see the huge number of children with serious genetic defeats that have occured to marriages inside of families. Monogany has set Judaism and Christianity apart from the rest of the world and raised the status of women and protected them. It isn't surprising that MEN would like bigamy or polygamy! They aren't the losers in that kind of relationship but their wives, mothers and daughters certainly are.

"If the law has decriminalized homosexual activity and even institutionalized it in some places" The rabbi has a good command of English language. However, the way this quote is constructed implies that the law makes "homosexual activity" mandatory in some places. I wonder where this is the case and how the rabbi found that out? On top of that, would the rabbi be ok with his wife getting a second husband?

Marrige is the start of a family which consists of mother father and children that is what most countrys accept and legislate If I decide to live with another man or sevral women or even a dog that is my right. You have got the right to accept it or not like it or not but the state decides what constitutes a marrige. Poligimy is accepted in cultures where war was a central part of their lives and poligimy was needed so that women would not be mateless to compensate for the amount of men who died in battle.

(Christianity is an offspring of Hellenism.) A society that condones same-sex marriages while prohibiting polygyny that society is demented. Yisraeli made a number of excellent points. To blame all manner of marital problems on polygyny is pure demagoguery. Virtually every criticism leveled at polygyny, if not blatant demagoguery or shallow, is also found, far more frequently, in monogamy. Historically, monogamy was imposed on Jews by the Romans and, only afterwards, then retroactively justified by the rabbis. The imposition of monogamy is not intrinsically Judaic or Biblical. Polygyny can be as fair to a wife, as abusive to a wife or as unfair to an agunah, as monogamy; no better and no worse. Paqid Yirmeyahu Israeli Orthodox Jew Advancing Logic as Halakhic Authority Welcoming Jews & non-Jews www.netzarim.co.il

God took one rib from adam to create Eve. If God wants us to marry more wives, he could have created more than one Eve. Have you ever thought why God used a rib to create Eve, not a bone from the arm or leg It is simply because the rib is the closest to the man's heart. So we shall be connected with love. Men before christianity treated women as properties, Love wasn't the issue. Marriage was more about sexuel desire & prestige. Wealthy, man used to mary many wives. Men used to consider their wives part of their stock. Christanity, restored the dignity to women & once again Eve is the only partner for Adam. Who's place shall be as close to his heart as his rib.

I am sure your wife would go for that one, she would cut off what you have left!! Do you teach your 3 students this too?

Hashem would have created one for him but he didn't. Polygamy is an invention of men that was tolerated because of man's inherent evil and lust. Monogamy is a creation of the Almighty and it is the more perfect relationship between a man and a woman.

Joke. Eve asked Adam if he loves her. His response was " who else...".Speaking about polygamy,boys,don't forget that each aditional wife comes with her mom :-)

Too bad all this mountainloads of "dignity" did not extend to the Africans, Asians, Aborigines, Native Americans and countless others--women AND men--whom you loving Xians enslaved, murdered, forcibly converted and exploited for centuries (including today: e.g. in northern Thailand where you provide "education" to the poor laden with Xian theology whose ultimate goal is converting the people who have no other choice). In much of Judaic thought Adam and Khava are not two people but symbols of the two sexes. In other words, autochthonous Judaism does not stipulate that G-d created one man and one woman but rather men and women to populate the world. It is further quite clear that avoteinu Avraham and Yaakov, David hamelekh, Shlomo hamelekh and many others in the Torah were polygamists. #13: You seem to think that monogamy is a conservative, right-wing concept whereas polygamy is some hippie, leftist tripe aimed at undermining the fabric of our society. Wrong. Just as abortion is acceptable under Judaism and it's Xians who oppose it, so polygamy, too, is Judaism at its original. Don't think that right-wing convservatives represent that which is religious and good for us. They propagate their alien Xian concepts. We have our millennia-old Jewish values. I repeat: I am happy to have one wife but that's me. Monogamy is a purely Xian invention and there is no reason why it should be applicable to Jews. Shabat shalom.

What you mentioned about abusing some Christian to human right along the history is true. Religion is power and power can be abused by individuels. But, talking about Christianity in principle. It is against such practises. Jesus, himself taught us not to expect anything in return from the people who we give charity to.

it is hard to enough to be happy and get along with one wife. how can you satisfy, feed, talk to, romance more than one. if a man in this age is stupid enough to marry more than one I am all for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

think that monogamy is about sexual perversion, I am sorry but you are wrong. married ones know that sexual gratification is low on the priority list in a marriage, children and security of partners both emotional and physical are highest ones. At least couple of chiristian single moms told me that they would put up with another wife so that their children would have a father at home. of course this is their opinion and cannot be generalized but it tells something about how a mom feels about children and security. i think sexual perversion you refer are related to sex clubs and orgies. They fall outside of responsibilities and duties of a marriage anyway. so please before talking about dignity and feminism and etc, think about what it would mean to have it. it would be complicated and hard to manage and all but don't call ideas stupid because they look against current norms and sound counter intuitive.

I find the comment about your instinct guiding you to the conclusion that monogamy is best to be questionable. How do you distinguish between instinct and bias? And, if it is bias, where did your bias come from? Much of the bias comes from the negative coverage the polygamists receive in the media. The major news outlets have a very small number of "anti polygamy" people in their data base. None of these people are qualified to address the subject. Nevertheless, their statements, with all of their inaccuracies, go unchallenged. There are thousands of polygamists that are normal, happy and well-adjusted. However, they seldom get featured in the news. One exception is this week's PRIMETIME LIVE edition featuring Centenial Park. Catch it if you can. I find it interesting that we live in a world full of sleeping around. That is both adultry and fornication. When have you seen an outcry against those practices? It is much more prevalant than polygamy and very damaging to those who are it's victims. Which brings up the question of why a rabbis outlawed polygamy a thousand years ago. I have been told that there are instructions on how live polygamy in the Torah. If we were instructed on HOW TO LIVE IT, why would man give instructions that we should NOT live it. Doesn't make sense to me. Herb in Utah

on your website, doesn't it say that your wife works to support you so you can be free to study? maybe if she's doing all the work she should get to add a husband or two to the mix.

Women always complain the good ones are always taken. Also for the ladies that want more than one husband I'm all for it.In fact they should put a camera in the house and make it a reality show and get rich.My wife always asks me hey if you get girlfriend don't let me know about it.Why is the big question.To save her honor in the community is something I would die for. So I say make it legal.Maybe than will women find a decent man.

Polygamy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy Rabbeinu Gershoms ban actually expired in 2004, tho says was renewed I never heard of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbenu_Gershom well worth the read.

Is this true or is it some horrible nightmare? I knew that men were emotionally different than women but not this different. I know that I would never want to marry more than one man. the idea makes me sick. I thought that marriage was about love not just sex. I know I would rather never marry than share a husband with other women. Maybe I am just too young and idealistic.

I have actually been to Xian and seen the models of the warriors... Anyway, I searched the web to see how it related to this article and .. 1. Of or relating to the theological doctrine, declared heretical in 431, that within Jesus are two distinct persons, divine and human, rather than a single divine person. 2. An adherent of Nestorian doctrine. That's all that I found but there is obviously more.

you're awfully rude. Stop being such a bore.

I once had a successful sexual relationship with two women. One was my ex-wife and the other a girlfriend. They both knew about each other and it was not a problem. Neither felt threatened or fearful of the other which may be a clue. Not quite bigamy to be sure but perhaps a relevant comment about the emotional side. Oh, and I did care emotionally about both of them. Love ? Is it, lust, the desire to own, infatuation, jealously. All the forgoing, none of them, or a mix? Or something different that stands alone. The love of a parent for a child, vice versa, or that between a man and a woman - two of the same sex etc. Oh and I also had a wonderful 6 month relationship with a promiscuous woman and I accepted that it was a part of her nature.

World Gender Ratio @ birth is around 1.05; Men to women; this alone does not justify men to have more than one wife. If any, some women should have more than one husband. The ratio should be 1:1 if not for the human intervention of abortion, which I think is God's intention that every men and women have equal opportunity in getting a life partner. Those religion which condone polygamy is ... is eh.. Sodom n Gomorrah !

so your experience with women is definitive? Maybe you were such a good lover that the women would put up with anything just to be with you. lol Anyway maybe you are right. Some women don't mind being used for sex. there are all types in this world right? Love. I don't think it is anything that you listed. it is selfless and faithful; something no human is quite capable of achieving in full. Just food for thought. No hard feelings. : )