Wednesday, May 24, 2023

A Husband's Prerogrative To Separate



וּמִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל תּוֹרָה שֶׁתֵּשֵׁב אֵשֶׁת מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע תַּחְתָּיו לְעוֹלָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כב יט) "וְלוֹ תִהְיֶה לְאִשָּׁה" אֲפִלּוּ עִוֶּרֶת אוֹ מֻכַּת שְׁחִין. וְאִם גֵּרְשָׁהּ עָבַר עַל לֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כב יט) "לֹא יוּכַל לְשַׁלְּחָהּ כָּל יָמָיו". וְכוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ וּמַחֲזִיר וְאֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ בְּאוֹנֵס. וְאִם קִדֵּם אֶחָד וְקִדְּשָׁהּ אוֹ שֶׁמֵּתָה אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה כֹּהֵן שֶׁאָסוּר בִּגְרוּשָׁה הֲרֵי זֶה לוֹקֶה עַל גֵּרוּשֶׁיהָ:

It is one of the Torah's positive commandments for the wife of a man who issued a slanderous report about her to remain married to him forever, as [Deuteronomy 21:19] states: "She must remain his wife." This applies even if she is blind or a leper.

If he divorces her, he transgresses a negative commandment, as the verse continues: "He may never send her away as long as he lives."

[If he divorces her,] we compel him to remarry her, and he is not lashed, as explained with regard to a rapist. If, however, another man takes the initiative and consecrates her first, or she dies, or he is a priest, who is forbidden to marry a divorcee, he should be punished by lashes for divorcing her. [Naarah Besula 3-4]

Now a מוציא שם רע case is where he brings witnesses that she was מזנה and then those עדים became זוממין [see Naarah Besulah 3-6]. So why can't the husband separate from her by dint of שויא אנפשיה חד"א??

Asking for a man in a forced marriage.