Questions tagged [sexuality]
NOTE: Please respect that in the Jewish tradition certain questions, especially certain questions relating to sexuality, are discussed only in private. Such questions will be closed or deleted at the discretion of the moderators or community. Also note that, like Wikipedia, this site makes no guarantee of validity, and does not offer professional (particularly rabbinic) advice. Treat information from this site like it came from a crowd of your friends.
284
questions
5
votes
1answer
164 views
Why two genders?
Why did G-d make it that all animals need both genders to procreate?
Couldn't He just make one kind of animal per species and give it the ability to produce children on its own?
4
votes
0answers
164 views
Process for a rebellious wife?
In the talmud the Rabbis discuss a "rebellious wife" who refuses to sleep with her husband. The husband is given recourse to deduct from her ketubah (marriage contract). This is discussed in tractate ...
7
votes
1answer
336 views
How are voyeurs treated in Jewish law?
Given that voyeurism by Jewish figures has been in the news, I'm curious. How does Jewish law traditionally treat voyeurism (if it does at all)? What is the punishment for voyeurism?
Note: I am not ...
1
vote
2answers
442 views
Would a violated woman be allowed to remain married to her Cohen husband?
As a continuation from my last question, Would looking away help a Cohen stay Married to his wife?, would a raped woman be allowed to live with her Cohen husband?
Would there be room to allow them to ...
1
vote
1answer
162 views
How to explain the start of Parsha Pinchas to bar/bat mitzva kids
How do you go about dealing with the adult nature of the beginning of the Parsha Pinchas to kids aged 12 or 13?
Any on-line material you suggest, suitable for kids this young, on that part of the ...
2
votes
0answers
61 views
May a woman think about another man during relations? [duplicate]
I understand the talmud says that a man may not think about another woman during marital relations, does the same prohibition apply to the woman?
-1
votes
1answer
598 views
Where is the story about Elazar ben Durdayah and the harlot?
My rebbe mentioned to us that just as Elazar ben Durdayah was at about to have cohabitation with harlot, she passed gas. The harlot said to Elazar ben Durdayah, "Just as this current of air cannot ...
13
votes
5answers
7k views
From where do we know that sexual intercourse with a non-jewish woman is forbidden?
From where do we know that a jewish man cannot have sexuel intercourse with a non-jewish woman? What say the Kabbala about this ? Is it related to dark forces, "qelipoth"?
4
votes
2answers
331 views
Prishus in Jewish Marriage
I know that there is a concept of prishus (going beyond the letter of the law, and abstaining from things that are really allowed) within Jewish marriage, but what exactly does this constitute, and ...
10
votes
1answer
520 views
Is a homosexual male obligated to try everything to change his orientation?
Given that homosexual relations is a biblical sin, I would like to know if a Jewish male homosexual has an obligation to try to change his sexual orientation (as opposed to just not acting on his ...
1
vote
4answers
900 views
Why doesn't dam chimud (seeing each other at the wedding) ban relations the first night?
The Gemara said that when someone asks another to marry, there's a concern for dam chimmud. That's why chosson & kalla shouldn't see each other during the week before the wedding.
But they see ...
2
votes
1answer
658 views
Are there any Jewish groups that check for a newly married woman's virginity?
This question follows from: What are āthe tokens of virginityā?
Are there any Jewish groups then and now that check for a woman's virginity say by laying out a garment when marriage is first ...
8
votes
4answers
12k views
What are “the tokens of virginity”?
In Deut 22:13-21, there is a mention of a spurned young wife's "tokens of her virginity", that her own father or mother can "take and bring out".
What were "the tokens of virginity" that parents of a ...
2
votes
0answers
182 views
Kedusha during relations
I have heard that the highest potential for kedusha and the highest potential to experience or perceive yichud Hashem is during relations.
1- Is there a source for this idea?
2- Assuming that this ...
1
vote
2answers
224 views
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Why was Yitzhak “laughing” with his wife openly?
Rashi on Bereshis 26:8 indicates that Avimelech saw Yitzhak sleeping with his wife.
A) Why were they having relations during the daytime?
B) Why were they having relations in a way that others could ...
6
votes
0answers
243 views
Should I be giving a get to my girlfriends after a breakup? [duplicate]
I have some knowledge of Jewish law, but it seems ambiguous to me in some areas, either because there are differing opinions, or no one has really explained to me the reasons for the opinions to be ...
-3
votes
5answers
648 views
Jewish Marriage and Pleasure
The perspective of a Jewish Marriage is to have children. However, is one allowed to have intercourse for pleasure?
0
votes
1answer
542 views
Having a girlfriend
Is there anything wrong with a young man who is not looking to get married having a girlfriend? Assume that he would not touch her or have sex with her.
1
vote
1answer
173 views
Can a Ba'al Qeri act as Shaliahh Tzibbur?
The question arises in the Halakhah (Qitzur Shulhhan Arukh, Yalqut Yosef, Orahh Hayim 88:1) as to whether a Ba'al Qeri (one who has recently released his seed) is permitted to read Qeri'at Shema' and ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Condoms and forbidden relations
If one wears a condom, since it prevents actual "skin-to-skin" contact, would this prevent forbidden relations? I am not asking about wasted seed, but just the relation itself. Thank you
3
votes
2answers
535 views
Why am I told specifically not to uncover my father's nakedness?
I was flipping through Yevamos and saw that it said that the Torah does not explicitly state that one is prohibited from having relations with his daughter. I checked out the relevant passage in the ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
When can one have light in the room during marital relations?
According to tradition, relations should take place at night and in the dark. The Talmud forbids relations during the day or by the light of a lamp (Niddah 17).
Are there circumstances where having ...
2
votes
1answer
792 views
Is it permitted for a couple to have relations during the daytime?
Is it permitted for couples to have relations in the daytime if they are tired in the evenings?
8
votes
3answers
2k views
What's the difference between wasting seed and having marital relations without the possibility of conception?
It is widely known that wasting seed is one of the big sins a person can commit.
However, it seems that having relations when conception is not possible--such as during menopause or during pregnancy-...
9
votes
1answer
739 views
In a mixed marriage, is a Jewish woman liable for kareit if they have relations while she's niddah?
I know that per torah, if a (Jewish) man has relations with a woman who is niddah he is punished with kareit. I have been told that in this case the woman is also punished with kareit.
Is the woman'...
9
votes
2answers
765 views
Can a couple have relations during dangerous times?
May a couple, living in Israel during a war or when Israel is under a constant barrage of rocket and other types of terrorist attacks, engage in marital relations? May a couple living outside of ...
0
votes
1answer
367 views
Is a couple who got divorced allowed to be together?
Are a couple who divorced from each other allowed back together intimately?
12
votes
2answers
604 views
Do the Nine Measures Apply to the Woman?
Nedarim 20b discusses nine mannerisms which a man should avoid whilst being intimate with his wife. The Talmud says that practicing these nine mannerisms can lead to having obstinate, rebellious ...
-3
votes
1answer
245 views
Is this aphorism about gentiles as problematic as it seems? [closed]
I often hear among younger, apparently fromm men the aphorism "[gentile women]1 are for [sexual] practice". This has always struck me as bizarre, due to the importance of the reproductive act for its ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Relations on Shabbat
It is my understanding that restrictions and prohibitions on the Sabbath more accurately concern "creating" or "destroying" rather than the stereotypical concept of "working". Why is it then ...
8
votes
3answers
372 views
Issurei arayos worse than rape
Why does the Torah treat forbidden relationships, even when consensual, more seriously, from our perspective, than it treats rape?
12
votes
1answer
339 views
Is it halachically acceptable to discuss Torah concerning sexual conduct in a forum like Mi Yodeya?
The Mishna in Chagiga 2:1 rules:
××× ×××Øש×× ××¢×Ø×××Ŗ ×ש×ש×
One may not expound the laws of forbidden sexual relations before three people
The Gemara in Shabbat 33a writes:
×"×Ø ×× × ××Ø ×Ø×× ××× ...
10
votes
3answers
735 views
May a couple forgo relations out of convenience?
In my chassan classes I was taught that it is important to have relations on the night a wife returns tahor from the mikvah. I do not know the source of this idea. My question is: May the couple ...
3
votes
0answers
288 views
Male equivalent to yoatzot.org
Are there any Ask-a-Rabbi websites that are geared specifically towards questions regarding Taharas Hamishpachah (i.e. marriage, sexuality, and men's health), parallel to yoatzot.org, from which I ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Is a wife allowed to stop going to the mikva?
If a wife no longer wants to have relations with her husband, is it allowed for her to stop going to the mikva, in order to prevent relations?
7
votes
2answers
309 views
Holiness in Intimacy
My understanding of one functionality of blessings is that they help one to take a moment and focus one's intent on the Creator and on one's higher purpose. This idea is especially poignant when one ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
No Blessing on marital relations?
Yebamoth 61b discusses the positive commandment of being fruitful and multiplying. As far as I am aware, one makes no blessing before intercourse. Why not?
Please cite sources!
4
votes
2answers
494 views
Looking for a definition of oneg Shabbos
Yeshaya 58:13 states that Shabbat is called oneg (delight). I have seen several different items described as oneg shabbos including taking a nap, marital relations, enjoying food at the shabbat meals ...
-9
votes
1answer
432 views
The beautiful captive vs. self-pleasure
If a soldier is in battle and meets an attractive woman, there is a dispensation for him to have her. Opinions differ as to whether he can rape her or whether it must be consensual, and how many times ...
3
votes
2answers
955 views
How was Tevilas Ezra effective in limiting conjugal relations?
Many go to mikve (perform ritual immersion) every morning. One reason for this is voluntary continuation of a cancelled decree, Tevilas Ezra, meant to limit conjugal relations by requiring immersion ...
4
votes
3answers
840 views
How do I find answers to sensitive questions I can't ask my rabbi?
I have a halachic question of a sexual nature that I feel I can't ask my rabbi. Where can I get such questions answered? Are there rabbis knowledgeable in this area who are willing to answer ...
12
votes
2answers
766 views
Are sex change operations prohibited for non-Jews?
In very specific situations some halachic decisors have permitted sex change operations, such as for infants born with some types of genital anomalies. However, the consensus seems to be that they ...
3
votes
3answers
927 views
a girl who has been raped - mikvah
Could a Jewish teenager go to the mikvah if she is not married and has been raped?
If a girl has been raped is it acceptable for her to go the mikvah in order to cleanse herself or is this not ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
Rape for a girl and is looking to get married
If a young Jewish girl was raped, what are the protocols for her getting married?
Is there anyone that she can't marry other than the Kohen or Kohen Gadol?
What are the halachot for these types of ...
8
votes
1answer
474 views
Why has Judaism traditionally discussed intimacy only privately?
To quote msh210's formulation of this site's rule on intimate topics:
Please respect that in the Jewish tradition certain questions, especially certain questions relating to sexuality, are ...
-2
votes
1answer
2k views
Clarifying the prohibition of Mishkav Zachar
Vayikra 18:22 teaches the prohibition of penetrating a man:
×Ö°×Ö¶×Ŗ-×Öø×Öø×Ø ā ×Ö¹× ×Ŗ֓שְ××Ö·Ö¼×, ×֓שְ××Ö°Ö¼×Öµ× ×֓שÖøÖ¼××: ×ŖÖ¼×Ö¹×¢Öµ×Öø×, ×Ö“××.
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is
...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Do the laws of Negiah depend on sexual orientation?
The Rambam writes (Hilchos Isurei Biah 21:1):
×× ××× ×¢× ×¢×Ø××× ×× ××¢×Ø×××Ŗ ××Ø× ×××Ø××, ×× ×©×××ק ×× ×שק ××Ø× ×Ŗ×××× ×× ×× × ×ק××Ø×× ×ש×Ø--××Ø× ×× ×××§× ×× ××Ŗ××Ø×
One who comes upon one of the Arayos via their limbs,...
22
votes
1answer
2k views
How is gender halachically determined?
I apologize if this is a sensitive topic, but it seems that this question is foundational to some of the discussions that appear here. I hope that my wording is appropriate.
If I understand correctly,...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Sex-less Marriage
Do we allow an asexual man to marry an asexual woman with the understanding that there will be no conjugal relations?*
And while we're at it: Does a woman have to go to mikve if her husband is home, ...
