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Judaism And Sexuality
Jewish traditions across different eras and regions devote considerable attention to sexuality. Sexuality is the subject of many narratives and laws in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature. In Judaism, sexuality is viewed as having both positive and negative potential, depending on the context in which it is expressed. Sexual activity has traditionally often been viewed as a grave sin if it is outside of the bounds of permissible behavior. On the other hand, many sources express a positive attitude towards sex between a married couple, also within same-sex marriages according to Reconstructionist, Humanistic, and Reform Judaism, and to a certain degree Conservative Judaism. Attitudes towards sexuality within marriage Laws and Biblical sources According to medieval Rabbinical enumerations of the 613 commandments, the commandment to procreate () is the first mitzvah in the Torah.See Sefer haChinuch (Jerusalem: Rav Kook Institute, 1990), p. 55. This commandment was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanakh
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" . ''''. ; ; or ), also known in Hebrew as (; ), is the canonical collection of scriptures, comprising the (the five Books of Moses), the |
Shekhinah
Shekhinah () is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God in a place. This concept is found in Judaism from Talmudic literature. The word "Shekhinah" is found in the Bible only as a "Shechaniah", a masculine proper name. The Hebrew root “shakan” appears in numerous conjugations, it can be found 128 times. (See Strong’s Hebrew dictionary 7931.) It also appears in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and Midrash. Etymology The word ''shekhinah'' is first encountered in the rabbinic literature. S. G. F. Brandon, ed., ''Dictionary of Comparative Religion'' (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1970), p. 573: "Shekhinah". The Semitic root from which ''shekhinah'' is derived, ''š-k-n'', means "to settle, inhabit, or dwell". In the verb form, it is often used to refer to the dwelling of a person or animal in a place, or to the dwelling of God. Nouns derived from the root included ''shachen'' ("neighbor") and ''mishkan'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tzipporah
Zipporah is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Jethro, the priest and prince of Midian. She is the mother of Moses' two sons: Eliezer and Gershom. In the Book of Chronicles, two of her grandsons are mentioned: Shebuel, son of Gershom; and Rehabiah, son of Eliezer. Biblical narrative Background In the Book of Exodus, Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro, a Kenite shepherd who was a priest of Midian. Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto, California: Mayfield. 1985. In , Jethro is also referred to as Reuel, and in the Book of Judges () as Hobab. Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in . Moses marries Zipporah While the Israelites/Hebrews were captives in Egypt, Moses killed an Egyptian who was striking a Hebrew, for which offense Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. Moses therefore fled from Egypt and arrived in Midian. One day while he sat by a well, Jethro's daughters came to water their father's flocks. Other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritanism, and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islam, the Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)#Known messengers, Baháʼí Faith, and Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions, other Abrahamic religions. According to both the Bible and the Quran, God in Abrahamic religions, God dictated the Mosaic Law to Moses, which he Mosaic authorship, wrote down in the five books of the Torah. According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a period when his people, the Israelites, who were an slavery, enslaved minority, were increasing in population; consequently, the Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus, Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might ally themselves with New Kingdom of Egypt, Eg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nahmanides
Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; literally " Mazel Tov near the Gate", see ), was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator. He was raised, studied, and lived for most of his life in Girona, Catalonia. He is also considered to be an important figure in the re-establishment of the Jewish community in Jerusalem following its destruction by the Crusaders in 1099. Name "Nachmanides" () is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Nahman". He is also commonly known by the Hebrew acronym (Ra-M-Ba-N, for ''Rabbeinu Mōšeh bēn-Nāḥmān'', "Our Rabbi Moses son of Nahman"). His Catalan name was (also written or ), literally " Mazel Tov near the Gate". Biography Nachmanides was born in Girona in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genesis Rabbah
Genesis Rabbah (, also known as Bereshit Rabbah and abbreviated as GenR) is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is an expository midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, whose authorship in tradition has been attributed to Hoshaiah Rabbah in the period of the Amoraim, flourishing in 3rd century Roman-ruled Syria Palaestina. The midrash forms an aggadic commentary on Genesis, in keeping with the midrashic exegesis of that age. In a continuous sequence, broken only toward the end, the Biblical text is expounded, verse for verse, often word for word. Only genealogic passages and passages that furnish no material for exposition (as the reiterated account of Abraham's servant in 24:35-48) are omitted. Name The name ''Genesis'' or ''Bereshit Rabbah'' for the text is attested in the ''Halakhot Genesis'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yetzer Hara
In Judaism, () is a term for humankind's congenital inclination to do evil. The concept is prominent in rabbinic texts and in the works of the Syriac poet Narsai. The term itself is drawn from the phrase "the inclination of the heart of man is evil" (), which occurs twice at the beginning of the Torah ( Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21). The Hebrew word having appeared twice in Genesis occurs again at the end of the Torah: "I knew their devisings that they do". Thus from beginning to end the heart's (plan) is continually bent on evil. However, the Torah which began with blessing anticipates future blessing which will come as a result of God circumcising the heart in the latter days. In traditional Judaism, is not a demonic force; despite this, Samael is considered the source of the ''yetzer hara'', through man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the need for food becomes gluttony due to the . The need for procreation becomes promiscuity, and so on. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rav Kahana II
''For other Amoraic sages of Babylonia with the name "Rav Kahana", see Rav Kahana.'' Rav Kahana (II) (, read as ''Rav Kahana (Ha-sheni)'', lit. "Rabbi Kahana (II)"; recorded in the Talmud merely as ''Rav Kahana'') was an '' Amora'' of the second generation, active in Babylon and in the Land of Israel. Biography He was a student of Rav. According to the Geonim tradition, Rav Kahana was the stepson of Rav from his second wife. Despite his name, which usually means "Kohen", he was not a Kohen. His son was Rabbi Abba bar Kahana. It is told that once Kahana hid underneath the bed of his teacher Rav while Rav and his wife were engaging in sexual intercourse. When Rav noticed this he was angered, but Kahana justified his presence by saying "It is Torah, and I need to learn it." Another time, Kahana was reciting Biblical verses before Rav. When he reached Ecclesiastes 12:5, which (in this rabbinic interpretation) refers to the cessation of a person's sexual desire in old age, Rav sig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abba Arika
Rav Abba bar Aybo (; 175–247 CE), commonly known as Abba Arikha () or simply as Rav (), was a Jewish amora of the 3rd century. He was born and lived in Kafri, Asoristan, in the Sasanian Empire. In Sura, Arikha established the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as a foundational text, led to the compilation of the Talmud. With him began the long period of ascendancy of the prestigious Talmudic academies in Babylonia around the year 220. In the Talmud, he is frequently associated with Samuel of Nehardea, a fellow amora with whom he debated many issues. Biography His surname, Arikha (English: ''the Tall''), he owed to his height, which exceeded that of his contemporaries. Others, reading Arekha, consider it an honorary title, like "Lecturer". In the traditional literature, he is referred to almost exclusively as Rav, "the Master" (both by contemporaries and latter generations), just as his teacher, Judah ha-Nasi, was known simply as ''Rabbi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niddah
A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a ''mikveh'' (ritual bath). In the Book of Leviticus, the Torah prohibits sexual intercourse with a ''niddah''. The prohibition has been maintained in traditional Jewish law and by the Samaritans. It has largely been rejected by adherents of Reform Judaism and other liberal branches. In rabbinic Judaism, additional stringencies and prohibitions have accumulated over time, increasing the scope of various aspects of niddah, including: duration (12-day minimum for Ashkenazim, and 11 days for Sephardim); expanding the prohibition against sex to include: sleeping in adjoining beds, any physical contact, and even passing objects to spouse; and requiring a detailed ritual purification process. Since t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rabbi Meir
Rabbi Meir () was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishnah. He was one of the Tannaim of the fourth generation (139–163), and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. He is the second most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah and is mentioned over 3,000 times in the Babylonian Talmud. His wife Bruriah is one of the few women cited in the Gemara. Biography According to the Talmud, his father was a descendant of the Roman Emperor Nero who, it is said, escaped death at the time of his deposition and became subsequently a convert to Judaism. Azariah de Rossi and David Gans propose that Nero may have converted to Judaism secretly, explaining the lack of historical evidence. Maimonides and Chaim Kanievsky affirm the Talmudic claim, asserting that Rabbi Meir was Nero’s direct descendant, while Menahem Azariah da Fano offers an allegorical interpretation, suggesting Rabbi Meir was a '' reincarnation'' of Nero rather than a literal descendant. Some modern scholars view the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aharon Lichtenstein
Aharon Lichtenstein (; May 23, 1933 – April 20, 2015) was an Orthodox rabbi, Israel Prize laureate and rosh yeshiva who was an authority in Jewish law (''Halakha''). Biography Aharon Lichtenstein was born to Yechiel Lichtenstein and Bluma née Schwartz in Paris, France, but grew up in the United States, where he studied in Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin under Yitzchak Hutner as well as Ahron Soloveichik. He earned a BA at Yeshiva University in 1953, and ''semicha'' ("rabbinic ordination") at YU's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary under Joseph B. Soloveitchik, whose daughter, Tovah, he would later marry. He received an M.A. in 1954 and a PhD in English Literature in 1957 at Harvard University, where he studied under Douglas Bush. Lichtenstein married Tovah Soloveitchik on January 26, 1960. They had six children: Mosheh, Yitzchak, Meir, Esti, Shai and Tonya. After serving as Rosh Yeshiva/Kollel at Yeshiva University for several years, Lichtenstein answered Yehuda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
