Q&A: Annulment of Oded Gaz’s Marriage
Annulment of Oded Gaz’s Marriage
Question
I’m shocked by the recent annulment of Oded Gaz’s marriage because of a witness who did not observe restrictions on physical contact. In your opinion, is it permitted to marry this woman?
Answer
I have not read the court ruling and am not familiar with its details. One has to read it in order to decide. In the Shulchan Arukh there is a special disqualification regarding someone suspected of sexual impropriety, more than with any other wicked person (“one who is suspected regarding a matter may neither judge nor testify about it”). But it is true that on the face of it, carelessness about physical contact is far from being sufficient grounds for annulling a marriage. If that really was the reason, then there are many couples among us who are not married.
Discussion on Answer
Meni,
you don’t have to believe everything that gets printed. A little critical thinking wouldn’t hurt.
That’s complete nonsense. There was much more there than just not being careful about physical contact, and the religious court already published a protest against the slander claiming that this is why they disqualified the witness.
(If that’s true, then not only are there many among us who aren’t married, there are also many who aren’t divorced—and that’s a real catastrophe.)