Rabbi Lev Leib Lerner: Judah and Tamar: The Torah Story Most People Misunderstand

0:07Next question. Given the story between Yehudah and Tamar, I wonder if prostitution is allowed for Goyim? I don't think so. I don't think so. what category is it? it's like it's not allowed for a non-Jew, and for Jews as well, to be immoral. So, and this, this prostitution is immorality. So I have a question in regards to this. So when this event between Yehudah and Tamar happened, did Yehudah have like free will back then in that moment? Because had it not happened, then they wouldn't have conceived children and so on. But what happened if he would have like restrained himself from doing so?

1:34So what would have happened if Yehudah would have restrained himself from doing that and not get carried away by his instincts? What would have happened? No, nothing good would have happened because we would not have Mashiach. So it says that, just so we understand the story, the whole story, I mean, I'm not going to tell the whole story, but just a piece of it, his wife passed away. And he was sitting shiva. I'm not sure how long, even though I learned, but it was only a few months after she passed. I don't remember exactly how much. So just so we know, on a side note, a man is allowed to marry 30 days after his wife passed. There's no problem whatsoever. You're not obligated to wait a year or so. As it says, it's not good for a man to be alone. So, okay, if he can get married, so he can get married. For example, she was sick for a very long time. Lo vina, lo vich. You understand? Then he found a suitable match, okay, he can get married. So, in this case, Yehuda, basically, of course, we know that he's a very righteous person.

3:01and he was walking on the road, and you know the whole story, Tamar, like, pretended to be this lady on a crossroads, and her face was covered, right? Why? Because so he would not recognize her. And it says that an angel actually pushed Yehudah into her sight. And actually, the angel is the one who made him excited. He did not want to and he was resisting. Like, I would say, just ask a question like, Yehudah, he looks like, who is sitting on a crossroads? Like, even somebody is sitting, like, even somebody is there, so let's say you're walking, you're driving, you're like, right in the anakh, so you glance quickly, there is somebody there. Okay, so you continue on your way, you're not staring at the people, you're not, you just continue doing your business, right? But the angel actually pushed him, so if he had a choice, he had a choice, but not so much, because it had to happen. So Hashem, sometimes He's very patient, but sometimes this righteousness has to be pushed aside.

4:28because why? Because a bigger miracle is going to happen, right? So he had a free choice, but not not that specific second. And plus, the thing that he lost his wife, so he was not doing anything illegal. So technically, he could get married, right? And in some sense it was like a marriage. Thank you, Rabbi. You're welcome. So technically, if Yehuda would have not delayed the marriage between his youngest son, the marriage between his youngest son and Tamar, this would have not happened, right? Yes. But it's a very good point. We have this thing in Judaism, it's about

5:30I don't remember what it was exactly called, this wife killer, right? A woman that lives with a man, and then he dies, right? Then she gets married again, and then he actually dies, and he dies again. So if all of them, one is 97 years old, right? And he died, okay, right? And second is 87 and a half years old. Okay, we understand. But if, that's understandable. That's natural circumstances. She would not be judged in this status, right? But if they're all young and strong men, as we know, the sons of Yehuda were, I think from nine to eleven years old, for sure before Bar Mitzvah. both of them, right, and died in a short period of time. So, meaning, you're not allowed, so this woman is actually prohibited to get married. Why? Because there's something in her aura to kill people, right? It's not, maybe she's doing it with like intent, with intention, maybe not. So we had this

6:54case in my family, actually. So, somebody very close to me, um, got divorced, right? And then remarried, and uh, he actually passed. And then when we went to the funeral, and uh, we spoke to his, uh, wife, the last wife, so. And then, then, uh, she said, yeah, I'm so unlucky. So we started talking, right? Uh, and, and, and she said that yeah, one First husband died, this husband, then this, she lived with that person maybe five years, I don't remember, like a very short period of time. I mean, I think they were very happy, the way I understand, but happy, he had cancer. Okay, but if he would do investigation, if he would ask a rabbi, I'm not sure if he would listen to the rabbi, that's a different story, but... But basically, it would be scary because, I don't know, how old was she at that time? Maybe in her 50s, late 40s, I don't know. Maybe late 40s, early 50s. And by that time, she already buried two husbands. Not a good idea to marry such a person. I mean, I did not see anything wrong with her, but just saying, halachically.

8:17So Yehudah had no right, I mean, as we said, this law was not written yet, but it was very scary to give the last son to this lady, especially he was a baby yet. You understand? So, of course, he did not have intention to give it to her in general, but he could not say it right away, but that's the story about the young son. But one of the opinions is actually said, since they were gentiles, in some sense, right, Noahides. So for Noahides, it's actually permitted even for a father-in-law to do yibum, not only brother. So technically, like according to some opinion, he was able, he was actually halachically was able to do it, allowed, not able, allowed to do that. So nobody said that it was not appropriate. Nobody. Go ahead. Thank you, Rabbi. You're welcome. Next question on the board. I wonder, would King Mashiach be allowed to have multiple wives? I think so. No.

9:50Okay, what else?