The Lobby for Jewish Values and Director of Jerusalem-based Kol HaNa’ar Rabbi Asher Idan has presented a new initiative to lower the marriage age allowed by law. In the past few days, Chairman of the Lobby for Jewish Values Ofer Cohen has approached several members of Knesset from religious factions in order to garner support for the new bill.
Currently the age of marriage allowed by law is 17, and according to the initiators of the bill, lowering it by even one year would pose a significant difference.
“There are many Hasidic communities that are interested in lowering the marriageable age, namely Vizhnitz and Breslov,” explained Rabbi Idan.
“Some Hasidic communities are already violating the law by marrying at the age of 15-16. Parents of large families who cannot financially support all their children would be able to marry off their daughter earlier so that she can move into her husband’s house,” he added.
(Source: Ynet)
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13 Responses
Sounds like the worst reason you could have for marrying off your children – it lightens your finanacial burden. What about THEIR best interests, dummies!!
Crazy idea! Fifteen and sixteen year older’s do not have the maturity to run a household, be parents and support themselves. They need to be in school and Yeshiva. All this will do is cause more domestic abuse and dysfunctional families. The children and they are children also will suffer.
Just go back to Ahma Ivria & save more money.
The marriage age should be raised, not lowered. Boys should not get married until at least 26-27.
The Torah is the law, not the englishman. Every individual is ready at a different time. The greatest injustice is to prevent a single individual that is ready.
Please do not believe what is reported on Ynet. Who ever heard of this Rabbi Idan?! I live in Israel and have never heard of him. Anyone can come up with weird ideas and get himself quoted in a paper that does not object to making the religious community look like boorish cavemen. I know lots of Vizhnitzer and never heard of anyone wanting to marry off their children before age 17. 18-20 is the norm for Vizhnitz. In mainstream Breslov that holds true as well. I totally do not believe the veracity of this piece; Jewish parents do NOT marry off their teenagers to relieve themselves of finacial burden. Do not accept lashon hara and further spread this slanderous chillul Hashem!!
Whether this is true or not, it’s a horrible idea. To state the obvious, 15-year-olds are children!
What’s the minimum age for dancing on moving vehicles in Geula?
An explicit mishnah gives 18 as the age for marriage. Many US states permit 14 year olds to get married with the consent of their parents. Why would this not be chukat hagoyim?
I don’t take this guy seriously and I think everyone will ignore him.
But just following his logic… If so many charaidi families are poor, how would marrying off a daughter at a younger age help. Chances are that the charaidi young man would also come from a poor home. That would exacerbate the cycle of poverty.
Let the girls go to school and get a job, which according to this guy is what they are doing and what he is against.
If Israeli Charedi families actually are trying to marry off high school age daughters to save money, this is further evidence the Kollel system is running out of money and is on its last legs. The only question is how much damage it will do before it is finally reformed and Charedi schools start teaching academics and men start earning parnassa.
YWN why do you post things like this? Just to start debates on the opinions? The article was ok until the last line which is such a bunch of propagandistic nonsense.
Who says the husband’s family takes care of the newlyweds??!! Usually parents share expenses and that includes an apartment.
And to AriInMD who said: “The only question is how much damage it will do before it is finally reformed and Charedi schools start teaching academics and men start earning parnassa.” Actually in the Kesuba is says that I man needs to provide for his wife NOT the other way around. Academics or not.
Tzipor,
You’re absolutely right–a husband is obligated to provide for his wife, not the otherway around, whether he’s studied academics or not. But its hard to imagine how a generation of Charedi boys being raised learning almost no English, math, or science stand much of a chance of succeeding at this.