ABSTRACT
Jewish tradition, like others, has not been supportive of the remarriage of widows and divorcees, perceiving a rivalry between the woman’s old husband and her new one in terms of honor and obligation regarding pregnancy and nursing, childcare and affection, and the levirate connection with the late husband’s brother, as well as finances. Couples, families, communities, and rabbis negotiated over remarriage and the waiting time required. The discussion of remarriage provides additional specifics about marriage. Unlike the young brides in prenuptial negotiations, widows and divorcees were older and free from legal ties to men, left with some assets of their own, and protected by their natal families. They were better able to articulate feelings and needs before entering another relationship, if they did. Their freedom was still limited due to the continued connection with their former husbands preserved by finances, previous sexual contact, obligations to breastfeed, and children that out-lasted their union. The prospect of a woman’s remarriage strained these connections. Negotiations attempted to maintain the balance in the relationship between a man and a woman who were once married, even if he was dead.
