Jewish Purity

[vocatio]

The following quote is from a Jewish person that brought up a topic that I have interesting questions about. I will ask the questions based on Purity, [purity in sexual acts, and ritual acts]

1. I see that a woman is required to go through mikveh 12 days after her monthly cycle. That begs the question:
   "Is her husband required to abstain from the marital act from start of cycle to after the mikveh?"
2. Is masturbation considered wrong in Judaism?
3. Is birth control considered wrong in Judaism?
4. Is abortion considered wrong in Judaism?

Now if you give an answer as a Jew, please state that an your affiliation or current status [practicing Jew, Orthodox Jew, or Christian, Catholic, etc. but from the perspective of your intimatee affiliation with Judaism] In other words if you’ve ever affiliated youself directly with Judaism, make it clear no matter what you are today.

The RCC is free to do baptisms any way they want; my only intent was to show how the mikveh (from which baptism derives) was and is only done by total immersion. In fact, as I said, if one hair is above the water, the immersion must be done again. They’re that fussy!

In Judaism, the mikveh is used by married women once each month, 12 days after their monthly cycle ends. for ritual purity (it is part of the laws called taharas ha’mishpacha, or laws of family purity). Orthodox men also use the mikveh to immerse before certain festivals.

And it is used by both male and female converts to Judaism as well. We also will use it to immerse vessels used in preparing food, if they have been rendered unkosher for some reason.

Natural water must be used in the mikveh, though it is permissible to mix tap water with natural (rain) water.

The best mikveh is a living body of water, such as the ocean or a river…you know, like the Jordan?

 

[Valke2]

1. I see that a woman is required to go through mikveh 12 days after her monthly cycle. That begs the question:
   "Is her husband required to abstain from the marital act from start of cycle to after the mikveh?"

Yes.

1. Is masturbation considered wrong in Judaism?

1. Is birth control considered wrong in Judaism?

Hormonal birth control forms are acceptable (i.e., the pill). Methods that block the sperm or destroy it are forbidden.

While some methods are permitted, they are permitted under certain circumstances only. If the mother is nursing, or very young, if the couple already has a boy and girl, or if pregnancy poses a risk to the mother or baby.

I would think that today, orthdox jews are more likely to focus on the type of birth control and not the circumstances of when to use it. The rest of us (I’m a conservative Jew) are not overly concerned with the method of birth control, despite what the halacha (Jewish law) provides.

1. Is abortion considered wrong in Judaism?

Yes. Unless necessary to save the mother’s life. Rabbis will differ as to when this is necessary.

 

[vocatio]

That was quick and simple. But I personally have issues with hormonal birth control because of what I’ve learned about it. I’m funny about NFP. Unfortunately for me I marry a non-Catholic and her conscience was not the same as mine on the issue and she got her way. Now, she’s Catholic and there’s no undoing things and we just have to move on. I forgive her and she now understands why it hurt me so much. Live and learn I guess.

I bet this is news to Protestants. Now I,m wondering about Muslims.

 

[Valke2]

That was quick and simple. But I personally have issues with hormonal birth control because of what I’ve learned about it. I’m funny about NFP. Unfortunately for me I marry a non-Catholic and her conscience was not the same as mine on the issue and she got her way. Now, she’s Catholic and there’s no undoing things and we just have to move on. I forgive her and she now understands why it hurt me so much. Live and learn I guess.

I bet this is news to Protestants. Now I,m wondering about Muslims.

When you say “unfortunately she got her way”, you really mean “unfortunately my wife and I engaged in sexual intercourse using birth control,” right? I mean, last time I checked it takes two people. I’m sure she is grateful that you forgave her for using birth control when you had sexual relations. I hope that she forgave you as well.]

 

[Claire_from_DE]

Yes.

1. Is masturbation considered wrong in Judaism?

 

[Valke2]

Valke2;3819345:

Yes.

1. Is masturbation considered wrong in Judaism?

I was a counselor in a Jewish camp and a fellow woman counselor was a rabbi (not orthodox I’m sure). She told us she masturbated and she and an unmarried male rabbi had relations. She said that was OK because it wasn’t adultery (neither was married) and neither felt that they would ever get married because they felt the nature of their jobs wouldn’t allow them to devote themselves to marriage also. I didn’t ask but assumed they used some form of birth control. I must admit I was shocked. So are there some liberal Jews who would have this notion of morality? (Where are there women rabbis??)

It wasn’t adultry. But it wasn’t ok. it was fornication.I’m sure there are many Jews who have had premartial sex (I was one of them). But doing so is not endorsed by Judaism. Women rabbis can be found in the Conservative and Reform movements. There are a few women “orthodox” rabbis, but they are not considered rabbis by most of the orthodox community.

My rabbi for about 5 years was a woman.

 

[vocatio]

When you say “unfortunately she got her way”, you really mean “unfortunately my wife and I engaged in sexual intercourse using birth control,” right? I mean, last time I checked it takes two people. I’m sure she is grateful that you forgave her for using birth control when you had sexual relations. I hope that she forgave you as well.]

Foregiveness is not needed from her. She was Protestant and ABC was not part of her faith. I was practicing non-Catholic Christian faith. I had come to a point in my life that I believed the Catholic Church was beyond hypocricy and full of total dissent. One priest or deacon [and my bishop] after another in my life engaged in scandals. Long painful story short I abandoned Catholicism at the point of being proseclytized by my wife’s entire family. My mom was also very anit-Catholic and scoffed at all these practices we hold dear. Mom even forced or coerced by threat of disowning the child if she went through it. She paid for the abortion. My dad on the other hand was an SSPX type…only worse. He believed and kept telling me later on that there is no valid pope and that the Catholic Church is dead.

Add all of that togther and you have one messed up and confused individual. I couldn’t judge my, because looked what I did, but it did hurt. You miss the point, that I didn’t express clearly. The point is that it hurt. You’re making it a competetion… My wife is a saint in my view. Her pain is far deeper than anyone I know. Discussing it is inappropriate. She did some things against my will. But I had to let some things go or the marriage would have been terminated and she woul never have made it out of that cult like Christian faith she grew up in. There is far more than you’re taking into consideration.

 

[vocatio]

I’m resurecting this thread for a particular interest in finding out whether or not Orthodox Jews accepted the Pill in the beginning of its invention.

 

[Sepharad]

I’m resurecting this thread for a particular interest in finding out whether or not Orthodox Jews accepted the Pill in the beginning of its invention.

They probably did…my mother was an Orthodox Jew but she took the pill for a brief time in the 1960s when it first came out…then had to get off it because (back then) the pill could cause hypertension, as it did for her. She had been advised by both her dr and her rabbi not to have any more children after she had my older sister, due to the Rh incompatibility problem for which there was no treatment back then (1950s)…and so she used the diaphragm and then later, the pill when it came out.

She got pregnant “accidentally” while using the diaphragm. Guess who resulted?