Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef has complied with a Tzohar Rabbonim request that will permit a young couple to register for marriage a year in advance. The new accommodation pertains to people whose Jewishness is not documented and subject to investigation, a timely matter in some cases.
After being alerted to the matter by Tzohar, Rabbi Yosef enlisted the support of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and the matter was passed by the Chief Rabbinate Council to facilitate the process for the questionable couples.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
The practice discussed, based on the posting of banns in canon law, is not based on halacha and should be rejected as hukas goyim. Under Jewish law, a man and a woman do not need any official approvals to get married, and there is no requirement of a government official being present to celebrate the marriage, and there is no “waiting period”. Since these non-Jewish customs greatly annoy most Israelis, they should drop them.
Article should say “a time consuming matter in some cases”, not “a timely matter.”
aku: “Under Jewish law, a man and a woman do not need any official approvals to get married, and there is no requirement of a government official being present to celebrate the marriage, and there is no “waiting period”. ”
That’s true, but under halacha there’s no requirement for any rabbi to perform any marriage he doesn’t want to, nor is there a halachic requirement for the government to recognize any particular marriage.
By halacha, there is no need to have a “rabbi”. The Israeli concept of having a clergy present is based on the Canon (Christian)law in which a marriage requires a priest to perform a sacrament. In wanting to be a national like all others, the Israelis are (perhaps without knowing it) engaging in behavior that borders on avodah zarah.
If two people file an affidavit that they were married, that should be enough for a government, especially one that doesn’t criminal extra-marital initimate behaivor. If one party to the marriage is worried the other party is a goy, or a mamzer, or already married – that party should conduct its own investigation.