Today I read about a man who really, really wants to stay married to his wife. Well, it's either that or he really, really doesn't want to divorce her.

The Supreme Rabbinical Court in Israel set a precedent this week, ordering a man to divorce his wife or spend half a decade in solitary confinement. The man was ordered to divorce his wife and pay her alimony several years ago, and consistently refused. After ignoring several arrest warrants, he was finally found in a Jerusalem yeshiva, or religious seminary — after a search that lasted for years.

He was jailed for one year, on the condition that he divorce his wife by the time he got out. When he indicated that he still wouldn't agree, the Supreme Rabbinical Court — who don't tend to get involved in this sort of thing — sentenced him to a further four years. Not content with sticking the guy in a regular Israeli jail, they've done something they've never done before. They've sentenced him to solitary confinement for the whole time.

Solitary confinement is reserved for the most dangerous of dangerous criminals, or ones who would be in mortal danger if let loose on the rest of the prison population. Solitary means no visitors, no letters, no personal possessions — just a guy and his cell.

So the prisoner knows what he's getting himself into, the judge also sentenced him to a week in solitary in his current incarceration. He has until the middle of April to grant his wife the divorce, or he has the next 1460 days to sit around and think about how much he loves that woman. And damn, he must love her a lot.

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