Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita speaks out about the age bnei Torah should be getting married. The rav has come out against roshei yeshivos, who he says are instructing talmidim to wait until they are 24. He calls on the talmidim not to adhere to their roshei yeshiva and to get married when they are 20, adding if they are ousted from yeshiva as a result, they can come and learn in Yeshivat Chazon Ovadia.
During a shiur given on Tuesday, 6 Iyar, Rav Yosef said he fears the roshei yeshiva do not want the talmidim to get married at 20, fearing there will be no ‘קיבוץ’, as the elder talmidim will not go for it. However, he feels the roshei yeshiva are putting their needs ahead of the talmidim and there is ‘pritzus’ in the world and the rosh yeshiva must marry the talmidim as early as possible.
Rav Yosef added that when he served as rosh yeshiva of Chazon Ovadia, he accepted the talmidim thrown out of other yeshivos for getting married young.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
I really don’t understand why rav Yosef has to tell people when to get married, if their really ready to support a family and live with someone else 24/7 who they haven’t lived with before then Kol hakavod, but I highly doubt it
Personally I feel the reason we’re having so many divorces now is because people get married when they’re not ready to
Yes, get married at 20 even if you have no source of Parnasa; and get divorced 2 years later brilliant.
I’m currently 22 and plan on being physical, emotionally, and financially stable before getting married.
To Coffee Adict:
I really don’t think Rav Yosef was suggesting that their is some great z’chus for a ben torah to marry a woman that he has not been “living with before”. It is very rare that such a pre-marital relationship would occur within the frum tzibur. In a more general sense, its not clear what the Rav is referring to when he talks about “so much prtizus in the world” and how talmidim are somehow less vulnerable if they marry at 20 rather than 24 years. Indeed, quite the opposite. A talmid of 24 years is more mature and less vulnerable to any such pritzus.
The Rav has spoken and his words are good.
@coffee addict – it is worthwhile to read articles with a grain of salt. There are general rules and then there are individual cases. When asked what age is a good age for the average bachur to get married Rav Yitzhak Yosef, shlita advises that starting from 20 years old he should start considering marriage. From the line in this article, “…there is ‘pritzus’ in the world”, I’m assuming he is basing it of the following Gemorah in Kedushin.
In Kedushin 29b Rav Huna states that “One who does not get married by 20, all his days are full of hirhurei Aveira”. On daf 30a Rava brings two opinions of what age range to marry one’s son off. Either between 16-22 or between 18-24.
Of course, there are external factors that affect the age range and thus each generation and each location varies. For example, now-a-days most western countries prohibit marriage below 17 years of age, so obviously getting married at 16 presents a problem (and no, I am not suggesting anyone get married at that age). Job availability also plays a role as well.
The main factor that affects marriageable age is maturity. Anybody that has lived in both America and Israel is aware that Israelis mature at a younger age than Americans. The atmosphere in America with all its self indulgence results in people maturing at a slower pace than elsewhere. Thus, it is clear that the Rishon L’Tzion shlita was talking to Israeli Bachurim, not Americans.
As far as your last statement, “Personally I feel the reason we’re having so many divorces now is because people get married when they’re not ready to”, I disagree. In fact, I’m sure that if we look into it we will discover that the percentage of divorces from those that married in their mid-20’s is around the same as those that get married earlier. In my opinion, “unrealistic expectations” plays more of a role in divorce than age.
Rav Sheinberg, z”l explained that “absence of matrimonial harmony” is do to a lack of communication; not seeing eye to eye.
i dont know if this reporter is quoting rabbi joseph accurately.
However if the reporter got it right then this rishon zion has chutzpa when he says that any rosh yeshiva who disagrees with him only does so b/c he’s dishonest and wants to hold-on to his talmidim.
if he wishes that his opinion be respected then he must respect other’s opinions too.
Many of today’s roshey yeshiva are much bigger talmidey chachamim then rabbi joseph.
@babakama – when I was young and heard a Gadol say something harsh or shocking I would discuss it with a Gadol I knew and he would clarify the matter for me. After time I learned how to read between the lines. It is not difficult to come to understand what Rav Yosef is really saying if you think into it enough.
I’m sorry to say, but it seems to me that you would be better off worrying about your own Chutzpa rather than the chutzpa of others.