Rabbi Aviner looks out for aging bachelorettes
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Rabbi: It's okay to multi-date if you're old
Rabbi Aviner: Dating two men simultaneously immoral, unless woman 'running out of time'
Israeli TV show Srugim (literally translated as "Knitted," a term referring to religious-Zionists) has become hugely popular among religious and secular Israelis alike. However, an error by one of the show's writers has prompted a surprising ruling by one of Israel's leading rabbis
In one episode, one of the women on the show, Reut, debates whether to go out on a date with a man she's been introduced to, after she already agreed to go out with her tutor. When her friend expresses her displeasure with the decision, Reut responds: "Why do you care who I go out with? Even Rabbi Aviner said that it's ok to date two people at the same time."
One of the viewers, perplexed by the moral dilemma, sent Rabbi Aviner a question, citing the show and asking whether this indeed reflected the rabbi's view.
Rabbi Aviner responded: "Certainly not," and proceeded to explain that dating two men simultaneously is generally a dishonest and immoral act. However, the rabbi admitted that there are some exceptions to the rule.
"Only in unusual cases, when the woman is older and time is running out, and the guy takes his time making a decision," is it ok to multi-date.
However, writers for the show said they based the quote in the episode on an answer provided by the rabbi to the same question about a year and a half ago. At the time, the Aviner responded: "It's immoral, unless you're old and can't wait."
