Judaism and sexuality
Encyclopedia
The Jewish tradition devotes considerable attention to sexuality. Sexuality is the subject of many narratives and many laws in the Hebrew Bible
and rabbinic literature
.
:
This specific commandment might be considered to apply also to non-Jews, since it was given to Adam
, the first man and father of mankind, before Abraham
and the Jewish lineage was created. However, the commandment is not included in the in the universal Seven Laws of Noah.
The basic Jewish positive attitude towards sex and sexuality is especially opposed to Western Christianity
, which does not view the matter much in favor, due to a belief that sex has been contaminated by original sin. The Jewish sages
recognized that the sexual need of mankind (also known as Yitzra De'arayot) is essential for perpetuating society, despite having known its negative sides which may lead to sins. For the aforementioned reason, Chazal
's attitude and statements on the matter are dual, and they recognize two inclinations in mankind, the Yetzer hatov (the "Good inclination") and the Yetzer hara
(the "evil inclination"), that can both influence sexuality and sexual behaviours.
In that conjunction, the attitude towards sexual pleasure in a sexual act stretches from viewing it as impure to viewing it as a religious experience. Some Cabalists view the sexual pleasure as a possible path leading to a sublimation
of devoutness.
Maimonides
presented a complicated attitude to the sexual act - both permissive and limitative:
Relations within marriage, are the permitted relations, however, there are exceptions to it.
Prior to the 20th century, it was a Jewish term usually (but not only) referring to male masturbation
. In Shulchan Aruch
, on Yoreh Deah, it is stated that wasting sperm; i.e., emitting sperm not for the purpose of procreation, is considered a sin greater than any sin in the Torah
.
Homosexual intercourse is also considered an act of sperm in vain; as for masturbation, despite not having been explicitly prohibited in the Torah, the Halakha and the Oral Torah
views masturbation as a Halakhaic prohibition and a great sin. The attitude towards male sperm is one of a potential future living human being, and thus masturbation, as an act of sperm in vain, is referred as a "murder," in which the masturbator is destroying his potential offspring not yet born. Even marital sexual acts in which the sperm does not enter the vagina are considered no less an act of sperm in vain.
The Halakhic attitude towards a female masturbation is found in the opinions of the Ben Ish Chai
, who says that it is wrong because it creates evil forces (Kelipos) and brings the woman to connect spiritually with the evil angel Samael
and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
,, who forbids it because it involves indulging in sexual fantasy about men, which falls under the prohibition of forbidden thoughts, which are forbidden for women as well. However, it does not carry the severity of male masturbation, because it does not involve the release of seed.
In modern days, the Halakhic question on whether taking male semen and sperm for the purpose of medical examinations or insemination remains in dispute among Jewish legal authorities.
as forbidding anal intercourse between two males. The source of this prohibition is a verse from the Book of Leviticus: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination." (Leviticus, 18:22) . In addition, some (especially among the Lesbian
Israeli community, religious or observant Lesbians), view this as not to be extended into a prohibition on a female-female intercourse. Rashi
interpreted the matter as only prohibiting anal sexual act between two men (and not other sexual acts between them), as he stated: "As one would penetrate a blue-brush into a receiver". However, other authoritative commentators of the Torah see all sexual acts between two males to be included within the ban on "sperm in vain."
The Jewish sages (Chazal
) added additional barriers to this ban, and have forbidden males to put themselves in any situation that might lead to such an offense. For example: Chazal prohibited two single males to be sleeping under the same blanket .
Fulfillment of a lesbian sexual orientation
act is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
. However, in other later rabbinical Halkhaic texts it is mentioned as a forbidden sexual act, as Maimonides
wrote: "A conduct of women rubbing oneself against the other, lesbians" (Maimonides' Mishneh Torah
, Book of Kedushah, Issurei Biah, 21:8) .
The biblical text does not explicitly depict the nature of the relationship between the biblical figures of David
and Jonathan, however, one may wonder on the nature of the implicit language and the choice of the Hebrew Bible
's words on this relationship, especially in the two following verses:
David on Jonathan:
"very pleasant hast thou been unto me; wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women" (2 Samuel, 1:26)
Jonathan's father:
"I know you have chosen the son of Jesse - which is a disgrace to yourself and the nakedness of your mother!" (1 Samuel, 20:30)
The aforementioned dispute over the interpretation of the language and meaning of the bible has turned into an important political debate between the Israeli gay community and the right wing conservative as well as the general Israeli public.
The public discourse around this issue has reached its peak, when, then Knesset
Member
, Yael Dayan
, on 10 February 1993, made her famous speech on the Knesset floor, on the need for gay rights, and while quoting from Biblical Davids' words on Johnathan.
Links relating to "sperm in vain - zera levatala":
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
and rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
.
Attitude towards sexuality
Many Jews describe the overall attitude towards human sexuality and sexual behavior in Judaism as positive (as opposed to other faiths). They note, for example, that procreation and sexual pleasure in marriage are seen as positive commandments. The commandment to procreate, Peru Urevu (פרו ורבו), is the first Mitzva in the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
:
This specific commandment might be considered to apply also to non-Jews, since it was given to Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
, the first man and father of mankind, before Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and the Jewish lineage was created. However, the commandment is not included in the in the universal Seven Laws of Noah.
The basic Jewish positive attitude towards sex and sexuality is especially opposed to Western Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, which does not view the matter much in favor, due to a belief that sex has been contaminated by original sin. The Jewish sages
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
recognized that the sexual need of mankind (also known as Yitzra De'arayot) is essential for perpetuating society, despite having known its negative sides which may lead to sins. For the aforementioned reason, Chazal
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
's attitude and statements on the matter are dual, and they recognize two inclinations in mankind, the Yetzer hatov (the "Good inclination") and the Yetzer hara
Yetzer Hara
In Judaism, yetzer hara , or yetzer ra refers to the inclination to do evil, by violating the will of God. The term is drawn from the phrase "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" , which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, at Genesis 6:5 and 8:21.The yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but...
(the "evil inclination"), that can both influence sexuality and sexual behaviours.
In that conjunction, the attitude towards sexual pleasure in a sexual act stretches from viewing it as impure to viewing it as a religious experience. Some Cabalists view the sexual pleasure as a possible path leading to a sublimation
Sublimation (psychology)
In psychology, sublimation is a mature type of defence mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are consciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behaviour, possibly converting the initial impulse in the long term...
of devoutness.
Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
presented a complicated attitude to the sexual act - both permissive and limitative:
Forbidden sexual acts in Judaism
- Incestuous relations
- Offerings sexual acts
- Sexual intercourse between Jews and Gentiles
- "... A man who lies with a male as one would with a woman" (some do not strech this prohibition to a female-female intercourse)
- MasturbationMasturbationMasturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
- despite not having been explicitly prohibited in the TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, the HalakhaHalakhaHalakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
and the Oral TorahOral TorahThe Oral Torah comprises the legal and interpretative traditions that, according to tradition, were transmitted orally from Mount Sinai, and were not written in the Torah...
view masturbation as an Halakhaic prohibition and a great sin. The attitude towards a male sperm is one of a potential future living human being, and thus masturbation, as an act of Sperm in vain, is referred to as a murder, in which the masturbator is exterminating his potential offspring.
Relations within marriage, are the permitted relations, however, there are exceptions to it.
Masturbation and "Sperm in Vain"
Sperm in vain (or Semen in vain or Seed in vain; Hebrew: זרע לבטלה, pronounced: Zera Levatala) is a Talmudic term and concept that refers to any sexual act in which a male's sperm is consciously "wasted", whether because she is pregnant, infertile, or elderly. This is proper for the purpose of fulfilling the "Onah" Mitzvah-commandment, the husband's marital obligations.Prior to the 20th century, it was a Jewish term usually (but not only) referring to male masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. In Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
, on Yoreh Deah, it is stated that wasting sperm; i.e., emitting sperm not for the purpose of procreation, is considered a sin greater than any sin in the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
.
Homosexual intercourse is also considered an act of sperm in vain; as for masturbation, despite not having been explicitly prohibited in the Torah, the Halakha and the Oral Torah
Oral Torah
The Oral Torah comprises the legal and interpretative traditions that, according to tradition, were transmitted orally from Mount Sinai, and were not written in the Torah...
views masturbation as a Halakhaic prohibition and a great sin. The attitude towards male sperm is one of a potential future living human being, and thus masturbation, as an act of sperm in vain, is referred as a "murder," in which the masturbator is destroying his potential offspring not yet born. Even marital sexual acts in which the sperm does not enter the vagina are considered no less an act of sperm in vain.
The Halakhic attitude towards a female masturbation is found in the opinions of the Ben Ish Chai
Ben Ish Chai
Yosef Chaim or in Iraqi Hebrew Yoseph Ḥayyim was a leading hakham , authority on Jewish law and Master Kabbalist...
, who says that it is wrong because it creates evil forces (Kelipos) and brings the woman to connect spiritually with the evil angel Samael
Samael
Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil...
and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...
,, who forbids it because it involves indulging in sexual fantasy about men, which falls under the prohibition of forbidden thoughts, which are forbidden for women as well. However, it does not carry the severity of male masturbation, because it does not involve the release of seed.
In modern days, the Halakhic question on whether taking male semen and sperm for the purpose of medical examinations or insemination remains in dispute among Jewish legal authorities.
Homosexuality
Some interpret the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
as forbidding anal intercourse between two males. The source of this prohibition is a verse from the Book of Leviticus: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination." (Leviticus, 18:22) . In addition, some (especially among the Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
Israeli community, religious or observant Lesbians), view this as not to be extended into a prohibition on a female-female intercourse. Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
interpreted the matter as only prohibiting anal sexual act between two men (and not other sexual acts between them), as he stated: "As one would penetrate a blue-brush into a receiver". However, other authoritative commentators of the Torah see all sexual acts between two males to be included within the ban on "sperm in vain."
The Jewish sages (Chazal
Chazal
Chazal or Ḥazal is an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha",...
) added additional barriers to this ban, and have forbidden males to put themselves in any situation that might lead to such an offense. For example: Chazal prohibited two single males to be sleeping under the same blanket .
Fulfillment of a lesbian sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
act is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. However, in other later rabbinical Halkhaic texts it is mentioned as a forbidden sexual act, as Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
wrote: "A conduct of women rubbing oneself against the other, lesbians" (Maimonides' Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
, Book of Kedushah, Issurei Biah, 21:8) .
Biblical David and Jonathan
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
and Jonathan, however, one may wonder on the nature of the implicit language and the choice of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
's words on this relationship, especially in the two following verses:
David on Jonathan:
"very pleasant hast thou been unto me; wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women" (2 Samuel, 1:26)
Jonathan's father:
"I know you have chosen the son of Jesse - which is a disgrace to yourself and the nakedness of your mother!" (1 Samuel, 20:30)
The aforementioned dispute over the interpretation of the language and meaning of the bible has turned into an important political debate between the Israeli gay community and the right wing conservative as well as the general Israeli public.
The public discourse around this issue has reached its peak, when, then Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
Member
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Yael Dayan
Yael Dayan
Yaël Dayan is an Israeli politician and author. She served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 2003, and is currently the chair of Tel Aviv city council. She is the daughter of Moshe Dayan and sister of Assi Dayan.-Biography:...
, on 10 February 1993, made her famous speech on the Knesset floor, on the need for gay rights, and while quoting from Biblical Davids' words on Johnathan.
See also
- Forbidden relationships in JudaismForbidden relationships in JudaismForbidden relationships in Judaism are those intimate relationships which are forbidden by prohibitions in the Torah and also by rabbinical injunctions. Some of these prohibitions - those listed in Leviticus 18, known as - are considered such a serious transgression of Jewish law that one must...
- TzniutTzniutTzniut is a term used within Judaism and has its greatest influence as a concept within Orthodox Judaism...
(Modesty) - Religion and sexualityReligion and sexualityMost world religions have sought to address the moral issues that arise from people's sexuality in society and in human interactions. Each major religion has developed moral codes covering issues of sexuality, morality, ethics etc...
- Lesbian and Gay topics and Judaism
External links
- Judaism and sexuality, for an additional in depth reading on the matter; "My Jewish Learning" - Article
Links relating to "sperm in vain - zera levatala":
- The Jewish Law Annual, Volume 14 (By The Institute of Jewish Law, Boston University School of Law).
- H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences.
- The Journal of Halacha: Artificial Insemination.
- Aish.com: Spirituality: My personal struggles with homosexuality.
- The Jewish Press: Fertility and Pregnancy;
- Wiley Online Library: Kosher medicine and medicalized halacha: An exploration of triadic relations among Israeli rabbis, doctors, and infertility patients.
- The Jewish Law Annual, VOL XIV: HALAKHIC ALTERNATIVES IN IVF-PREGNANCIES: A SURVEY;
- American Reform responsa: Collected responsa of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
- yoatzot.org: Hotza'at Zera Levatalah.
- jewishwomenshealth.org: Expulsion of Semen (Hotza'at Zera Levatalah);
- briskodesh.org: Shmiras Habris.