Comments/Questions from Readers

Question #37: I must say that Mishlei 5: 18 stating "rejoice in the wife of your youth" advises against acquiring more wives...simply because...if you were absolutely captivated by your wife...you would...in Wisdom...realize that you would have less to spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially invest in her...if you had a second wife, and even much less with a third, and so on.

I'm not sure how you are drawing such a conclusion from this passage. Does the phrase "of your youth" suggest something more to you than, say, "rejoice in your wife"? The additional "of your youth" wording seems to be a unique identifier that would be pointless unless it was separating her out from potential others.

Of course, the parallels of having less spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically and financially would apply to having more than one child in the same way as having more than one wife. It would seem that this principle, when extended to a man's children, would imply he would be in wisdom to limit himself to a single child, and that having a second child would equate to having less spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically and financially to invest in the second child, and even less with the third, and so on. In fact, with exceeding wisdom, he would be best not to have ANY children, as having even one child would mean there would be less resources available to his wife.

I think this line of reasoning speaks for itself.

Now if the wife was the head of the husband, rather than the other way around, then I could see how your statement would make sense, because then there should only be ONE wife. He should adore her alone and she should "absolutely captivate" him. Does this sound like the relationship our Master should have with us? That He should adore me alone and that I should absolutely captivate Him? Or is it actually that I should adore Him alone and that He should absolutely captivate me?

 
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