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JEWISH SEXUAL ETHICS
Jewish attitudes to sex
• Judaism's attitude toward sex is between two
extremes. Judaism rejects the extreme of
"anything goes" and also rejects the opposite
extreme that sex is dirty or sinful.
• Instead Judaism imposes numerous restrictions
on sexual relations, but also promotes regular
sex between a husband and wife as healthy,
worthy of enjoyment and a mitzvah (an affirming
commandment.) When sexual desire is satisfied
between a husband and wife at the proper time,
out of mutual love and desire, sex is a mitzvah.
In Jewish law, sex is
not considered
shameful, sinful or
obscene.
Sex is not a
necessary evil for the
sole purpose of
procreation.
• Judaism regards sex as being similar to eating and
drinking. Eating and drinking are natural and potentially
beneficial bodily functions. If done improperly, eating and
drinking can become hurtful and shameful. If done
properly, eating and drinking can be satisfying and joyful.
If done according to God's commandments (with
blessings, a festive meal on Purim, four cups of wine on
Passover ...), the mundane acts of eating and drinking
can even be elevated to holy acts.
Likewise, Judaism sees improper sex as illicit and sinful,
but proper sex as a sanctified act. Jewish Law provides
guidelines for proper sexual relations.
•
The Torah states, "it is not good
for man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18).
Judaism views marriage as the
essential means to
companionship, intimacy and love.
Just as God created the first man,
Adam, and the first woman, Eve,
from one body, the act of marriage
symbolises ‘oneness’ and
‘completion’. Judaism values sex
as a means of strengthening
vitally important marital bonds.
Furthermore, the Torah states, "Be
fruitful and multiply" (Genesis
1:28). This commandment
elevates sex within marriage to a
holy act. Couples engaging in sex
for the purpose of procreation are
fulfilling the word of God.
• Sex is permissible only within the context of a
marriage. In Judaism, sex is not merely a way of
experiencing physical pleasure. It is an act of
immense significance, which requires
commitment and responsibility.
• The requirement of marriage before sex ensures
that sense commitment and responsibility.
• Jewish law also forbids sexual contact short of
intercourse outside of the context of marriage,
recognizing that such contact may inevitably
lead to intercourse.
• The primary purpose of sex is
to reinforce the loving marital
bond between husband and
wife. The first and foremost
purpose of marriage is
companionship, and sexual
relations play an important
role. Procreation is also a
reason for sex, but it is not the
only reason. Sex between
husband and wife is permitted
(even recommended) at times
when conception is impossible,
such as when the woman is
pregnant, after menopause, or
when the woman is using a
permissible form of
contraception.
• Judaism does not ignore
the physical component
of sexuality. The need for
physical compatibility
between husband and
wife is recognized in
Jewish law. A Jewish
couple must meet at least
once before the marriage,
and if either prospective
spouse finds the other
physically repulsive, the
marriage is forbidden.
• Sex should only be experienced in a time of joy.
• Sex for selfish personal satisfaction, without regard for
the partner's pleasure, is wrong and evil.
• A man may never force his wife to have sex.
• A couple may not have sexual relations while drunk or
quarreling.
• Sex may never be used as a weapon against a spouse,
either by depriving the spouse of sex or by compelling it.
It is a serious offense to use sex (or lack thereof) to
punish or manipulate a spouse.
• Sex is the woman's right, not
the man's. A man has a duty to
give his wife sex regularly and
to ensure that sex is
pleasurable for her. He is also
obligated to watch for signs
that his wife wants sex, and to
offer it to her without her
asking for it. The woman's right
to sexual intercourse is
referred to as onah, and is one
of a wife's three basic rights
(the others are food and
clothing), which a husband
may not reduce.
• The Talmud specifies both the quantity and
quality of sex that a man must give his wife. It
specifies the frequency of sexual obligation
based on the husband's occupation, although
this obligation can be modified in the ketubah
(marriage contract).
• The times for conjugal duty are: “For men of
independent means, every day; for laborers,
twice a week; for donkey drivers, once a week;
for camel drivers, once in thirty days; for sailors,
once in six months.”
• A man may not take a vow to abstain from sex for an
extended period of time, and may not take a journey for
an extended period of time, because that would deprive
his wife of sexual relations.
• In addition, a husband's consistent refusal to engage in
sexual relations is grounds for compelling a man to
divorce his wife, even if the couple has already fulfilled
the halakhic obligation to procreate.
• Although sex is the woman's right, she does not have
absolute discretion to withhold it from her husband. A
woman may not withhold sex from her husband as a
form of punishment, and if she does, the husband may
divorce her without paying the substantial divorce
settlement provided for in the ketubah.
• Although some sources take a
more narrow view, the general
view of halakhah is that any
sexual act that does not
involve sh'chatat zerah
(destruction of seed, that is,
ejaculation outside the vagina)
is permissible.
• As one passage in the Talmud
states, "a man may do
whatever he pleases with his
wife." In fact, there are
passages in the Talmud that
encourage foreplay to arouse
the woman.
• In summation, Judaism, in contrast to
some other religions, does not view sex as
intrinsically dirty or evil. According to
Judaism, sex is a mitzvah if it is done with
love, within a marriage, and at the proper
time.