**Law #122 To marry a wife by means of Ketubah and Kiddusin
Deut. 22:13-21 [If a husband suspects his wife not to be the
virgin she claimed she was after marrying her, and her parents are unable to
prove that she was indeed a virgin, she was to be executed.]
Ketubah is a prenuptial agreement protecting the wife. In it the husband vows to provide her with
clothes, food, conjugal relations, and in case of a divorce, a cash
amount. Kiddushin is the dedication part
of a wedding ceremony that renders the couple husband and wife. However, neither are commanded in the
Torah. Deut. 22:13 addresses a woman who
is not a virgin upon marriage. It says
nothing about a woman’s rights in a marriage.
The true command should be for a woman to be a virgin upon
marriage. At the very least, she should
be honest with her husband upon marrying him if she is not a virgin. The woman is called to be pure for her husband. She’s made to be single minded, trustworthy,
faithful and true to her husband. Yes,
there is a Law against being a whore; a woman who’s slept with many men and
pretends to be a virgin. This Law is
found in Deut. 22:13-23:2.
Today’s cultures teach women to be hyper sexual and
promiscuous, but as Israelite women we are called to be sanctified from that
image, which devalues our honor and self-worth. The marriage ordained by the Most High does
not stand on those values but reflects His character of righteousness. The world teaches that we must “practice” sex
before marriage. However, the sexuality
taught in the world is of no good use in a marriage ordained by the Most
High. The world does not know the will
of the Most High for your marriage and cannot teach you how to prepare for
it. Thus the reason, we should seek to
save ourselves for the one set aside for us in marriage.
Law #123 Not
to have relations with women not thus married
Deut.
23:18 “Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore ($ received by a woman prostituting
herself) or the price of a dog ($ received by a man prostituting himself) into
the house of the Most High for any vow: for even both these are an abomination
unto the Most High.”
The Law
addresses prostitution among the Israelites. Deut. 23:17 says, “There shall be
no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” The
Bible calls them “cult prostitutes.” These Israelite prostitutes would then
take the money they earned and pay tithes with it. It was considered dirty
money. Money obtained by way of an abomination could not be brought into the
House of the Most High. No amount of money supersedes the Most High's
integrity.
Law #124 Not to withhold food, clothing, and relations from your wife
Ex. 21:10 “If he take him another wife; her food, her
raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.”
This Law is a provision for the wife in a plural marriage. The circumstances upon which this Law was given is a man being married to multiple wives. However, the command found here is for a husband not to neglect his previous wife for a wife he adds on. He is not to cut in half or stop his provision and the duty of marriage to his previous wife.
*Law #125 To have children with one's wife
Gen. 1:28 “And the Most High blessed them, and said ‘Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and do have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
According to Judaism, the Israelites were given a command in Gen. 1:28 to “be fruitful and multiply.” However, this command was not given to the Israelites but to Adam and Eve regarding reproduction and the hierarchy of creation. Per Judaism, the command here is to “have children with your wife.” However, this Law should not be included as part of the Laws of Moses because it was not given to Moses on Mt. Sinai as specific instructions for the Israelites to follow in the wilderness and in the land promised to them. While it can be called a general command given to mankind, it was not a specific command given to the Israelite nation.
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