Articles in Concepts
Family Purity: The Value of Discipline
Borders that Define
Man’s physical
needs and desires are not denigrated in the Jewish religion, on the
contrary, they are celebrated and embraced. Judaism seeks to draft the
human aspect of man into the religious experience and thereby uplift
it.
To this end,
Jewish law sets boundaries that define the context of permissible
physical expression. Adhering to …
Family Life: Discipline in Marriage
Uplifting Limitations
When Torah
discipline is applied to family relations we see its astonishing
impact. Torah limits our choice of spouses (to Jews only) and also
regulates the timing of intimacy between approved spouses.
According to
Torah, husband and wife may not engage in intimate relations during the
course of menstrual flow, and seven days following.
Stoking the …
Family Life: The Mikvah
Water from the Garden of Eden
Immersion in a Mikvah, a ritual pool of water, releases man from
his imperfect state. When we emerge from the Mikvah we are reborn; the
imperfections and impurities of the past evaporate and we are permeated
with a fresh sense of renewal.
The Torah tells
us of a river that …
Family Life: The Spiritual Dynamic
Perfection Lost
The laws of family purity prohibit intimate relations during the menstrual cycle and for several days following. To appreciate the spiritual dynamic of these restrictions we must first understand the spiritual dynamic of menstruation itself.
Any discussion on menstruation must begin at the beginning. We must return to the source …
Famil Life: Laws of Family Purity
Disclaimer: There are
myriads of laws that govern the many dimensions of Family Purity and
they are beyond the scope of this presentation. The intention here is
to to offer a brief glimpse of the Family Purity life style.
During the period of menstruation husband and wife should refrain from intimacy together.
After a …
Family Life: Family Planning
The
Torah commands us to be fruitful and multiply. As long as a family
plans to have even one child they have fulfill their obligation to this
Mitzvah. Some commentators feel that one must have a son and a daughter
before one is considered to have fulfilled this obligation.
However, Jewish
tradition has always encouraged large …
Family Life: Abortion
The
Jewish view on an unborn fetus is the following. An unborn fetus has an
intermediate status of life. It is not yet considered an independent,
and therefore never takes precedence over the mother’s life. Neither is
it considered to be a non-life, thereby prohibiting the indiscriminate
use of abortion.
There are
specific instances when abortion is …
Family Life: Divorce
Divorce
In its ultimate
wisdom, the Torah understood the need for Get (Hebrew for divorce) in
human life. One must realize that a marriage made according to the
Torah can only be annulled by Torah. Conversely, a Get executed
according to the Torah can only annul a marriage made by the Torah.
Couples who
choose to …
