Levirate Marriage
Question
Book Research question: Levirate marriage. Easy to find and understand the basics. I am looking for info regarding the cultural practices of the Saul-David era. What I am wondering and cannot find is once the heir is born, what exactly is the standing of the levirate wife and husband, socially, legally? What standing/position does the son have? Is he excluded from inheritance laws of the biological father since he is considered the son of his ima’s deceased husband and inherits his land and wealth? How would the community see this situation? Would mother and son be treated with honor or humiliated or looked down on, considered less?
There’s not much to go on regarding the aftermath, what life was actually like for the mother and child after the legal transaction was complete. It probably depended on the husband I suppose. What I can glean seems like it was very different for Ruth than for Tamar, and Abigail, if indeed David’s offer was of a levirate nature, another situation entirely.
I would appreciate any insight you may have on this topic to shed light on the cultural realities of the ancient practices. תוֹדה רבּה לך
Answers
While it is true that the firstborn son of a levirate is considered to be the “son” of the deceased brother, nevertheless, the whole concept of the child “belonging” to the deceased brother is entirely spiritual in its essence.
A child born from a levirate marriage is considered to be the biological child of his parents, and he receives all the rights that are given to an oldest child. He would not be regarded as any different from any other child born into the family, and there was no social stigma whatsoever about being the firstborn son of a levirate marriage.
In general, a levirate marriage was a marriage like any other marriage.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team