Many subjects are covered in Deuteronomy 25. Safely however, none rate as arcane as Levirate
marriage. “If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child…” Abravanel’s essay on
Levirate marriage is both lengthy and fascinating, albeit more than a little esoteric, mystical. Of course,
much is dedicated to explaining the nuts and bolts of this commandment. For our purposes, we will
directly proceed to what Abravanel calls the essence of the matter. Front and center is reincarnation:
Does Judaism espouse it? What’s the connection of transmigration (or metempsychosis) to Levirate
marriage?
“If brothers dwell together, and of them die, and have no child, the wife of
the dead shall not marry outside of the family. Her husband’s brother
shall have sexual relations with her, and take her to him as a wife, and
perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her.”
In brief, the following are some of the answers to the questions just posed. For Abravanel, this is the
heart of the matter: Rationale for Levirate marriage has been handed down from generation to
generation, originating with Moses. The prophet spoke of an esoteric axiom or assumption that is
predicated upon the transmigration of man’s soul. Metempsychosis suggests a soul’s movement from
one host body to another.
“And it shall be, that the firstborn that she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead,
that his name be not blotted out of Israel.” Indeed, reincarnation has fascinated ancient thinkers well
before the Torah had been revealed at Sinai. These philosophers comprehended that Levirate marriage
performed by a surviving brother worked wonders for the deceased brother’s soul. They advanced that
a brother could accomplish this deed most admirably, and was the natural first choice, though other
family members could perform the meritorious deed in a pinch.
Fast forward. When the Torah was transmitted, however, Moses limited Levirate marriage to brothers.
It had to do with brothers representing a more seamless surrogate. Therefore, it provides for the
greatest benefit to all parties concerned.
Abravanel continues. When a man passes away, his soul migrates; it’s restless. Picky, it will not latch on
to any host. Here is a second factor influencing a persnickety soul: God. He desires to bring merit to that
wandering soul. By that, we mean that God has a keen interest in it returning to planet Earth, and
making its transition an organic one.
In our context, this means that the Maker seeks to find the right match between a migrating soul and its
new physical partner (body). Ideally, then, the soul will be born into a baby whose mother was the
deceased fellow’s wife. Since she lost her husband, the next best father will be a man whose makeup
closely resembles the deceased: hence, the father’s brother.
Here, in terrific shorthand, we present Abravanel’s explanation of Levirate marriage and reincarnation.
See Abravanel’s World for the full treatment of this mysterious subject.
