Sorry, Jennifer, But You Are Mistaken

Submitted by orange yonason (United States), Dec 16, 2008 at 12:29

B"H

"Polygamy is never instructed, condoned, or "permitted" by God"

Then you would have to call Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David and Solomon "wicked," G-d forbid, because if something is not permitted, it is forbidden. And, if it is forbidden it is a "sin."

The Torah has laws governing when polygamy is allowed, and how a man has to conduct himself (like supplying ALL his wives' needs, including a separate home for each, and at his expense, not the government's - unless he's the king, in which case he is the government). It's like the example Aneeta Kumar gave, only in the case of Torah Law under ideal circumstances it can be dealt with, which is why it is forbidden now, because the circumstances are so far from ideal, not because G-d doesn't allow it.

What you need to understand is that there are rules to interpreting the Torah, and that Moses received those oral instructions at Sinai' They were then orally passed on through the generations, and are as much a part of Torah as what is written down. You can't impose your own rules, no matter how much "sense" you think they make. If you are not following those rules, you are wrong, period. The Rabbi has the authority of 3300 years of tradition to back him up and doesn't deviate from it, which means that the likelyhood of his being wrong is very small. The only way he could be wrong is if he erred and didn't adhere to the tradition. And, unless you know that tradition and can show how he erred in interpreting it, your argument isn't legitimate.

The Torah is our "Constitution" and we are strict "Constitutioinalists."

Here is some more information that may help.

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