Jewish traditions across different eras and regions devote considerable attention to sexuality. Sexuality is the subject of many narratives and laws in the Tanakh and rabbinic literature.
Attitudes towards sexuality
In Judaism, sexuality is viewed as having both positive and negative potential, depending on the context in which it is expressed. According to medieval Rabbinical enumerations of the 613 commandments, the commandment to procreate is the first mitzvah in the Torah: "And God blessed them; and God said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply , and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth". This commandment was understood by the early rabbis to be only binding on men; women are exempt because childbirth puts them in physical danger, though a dissenting opinion is recorded in the mishnah Yevamot 6:6. This commandment was originally binding on all of humanity, as it was given to Adam, the progenitor of all mankind. However, after the giving of the Torah, it became obligatory on Jews only. There are many passages in the Babylonian Talmud that relate to the Jewish attitude toward sexuality. In one passage, a rabbi named Kahana hides underneath the bed of his teacher Rav as Rav was having sex. Rav scolded Kahana for his behavior, but Kahana countered that sex is part of the Torah, and therefore he must learn about it from his teacher. According to the Sefer haChinnuch, the central nature of this mitzvah is due to the fact that God desires for the world to be populated. However, there is another Torah commandment known as onah which obligates a man to provide sexual intercourse to his wife on a regular basis, regardless of whether they have already had children. The Jewish sages recognized that the sexual need of mankind is essential for perpetuating society, despite having its negative sides which may lead to sins. For this reason, the classical rabbis' attitude and statements on the matter are dual, and they recognize two inclinations in mankind, the Yetzer hatov and the Yetzer hara, that can both influence sexuality and sexual behaviours. Maimonides discusses this dichotomy explicitly: Kabbalistic texts, such as The Holy Letter, writes that a man should arouse his wife during sex and even that he should ensure that she achieves orgasm before he does. Some medieval rabbis even allowed forms of contraception so that couples could engage in sex for pleasure. On the other hand, sexual activity is also viewed as a grave sin within Judaism if it is outside of the bounds of permissible behavior. Certain types of forbidden sexual behaviors, known as gilui arayot, are viewed so negatively that a Jew is obliged to sacrifice one's life before committing them. The word Erva first appears in the Hebrew Bible in Leviticus 18:6. The verse reads as follows, with the worderva being translated to nakedness. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. I am the The term has since been used in the Talmud as both a blanket term for all prohibited sexual acts and to describe parts of a female considered to be immodest and sexually provocative including a woman's hair, thighs, and singing voice. The term continues to be used in many other sources of Jewish law and is still used in modern Hebrew today to mean either prohibited sexual acts or sexual organs.
Forbidden sexual acts in Judaism
Isurei bi'ah
The term isurei bi'ah refers to those one may not have intercourse with. The most serious of these form a subset known as arayot. Intercourse with arayot is one of the few acts in Judaism which one may not perform even to save one's life. Arayot includes:
The traditional view is that the Torah forbids a man anal intercourse between two males of age, and this is the view of Orthodoxy; there are other modern views that disagree and there is evidence of homoerotic behavior among male Jews across differing times and places. 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.". However, Rashi interpreted the matter as only prohibiting anal sexual acts between two men, as he stated: "As one would penetrate a blue-brush into a receiver." But other authoritative commentators of the Torah see all sexual acts between two males to be included within the ban on "sperm in vain", which is a separate prohibition that is not limited to intercourse and which could include solitary sex. The Jewish sages added additional barriers to this ban, and forbid males to put themselves in any situation that might lead to such an offense. For example: the rabbis of the Talmud prohibited two single males from sleeping under the same blanket. In Liberal Judaism homosexual relationships are considered acceptable, and weddings are conducted for same-sex couples. There is no ban on female-female intercourse in the Hebrew Bible, but in later rabbinical halakhic texts, such is mentioned as a forbidden act, as Maimonides wrote: "A conduct of women rubbing oneself against the other, lesbians". The Sifra, however, interprets verses from Leviticus to mean that female homoeroticism is allowed, just marriage between two women is prohibited.
Extramarital sex
In Judaism, extramarital sex is universally frowned upon; according to some authorities, it even falls under a biblical prohibition. The written Torah never forbids sex outside the context of marriage, with the exception of adultery and incest. According to, the man who enticesa woman who isn't betrothed must marry her afterwards, unless her father refuses to allow him. Still, extramarital sex is forbidden in rabbinical Judaism.
Masturbation
Male
Despite not having been explicitly prohibited in the Torah, the Halakha and the Oral Torah view masturbation as an Halakhic prohibition and a great sin. The attitude towards a male sperm is one of a potential future living human being, and thus, masturbation is referred to as a murder, in which the masturbator is exterminating his potential offspring. Sperm in vain is a Talmudic term for any sexual act in which a male's sperm is consciously "wasted". However, if his wife is pregnant, infertile, or elderly, it is not considered wasting seed, since this is 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 referring to male masturbation. In Shulchan Aruch, on Yoreh De'ah, it is stated that wasting sperm is considered a sin greater than any sin in the Torah. 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. Homosexual intercourse is also considered an act of sperm in vain, in addition to having its own prohibition. According to many opinions, even marital sexual acts in which the sperm does not enter the vagina are considered no less an act of sperm in vain. The Sefer Hasidim, however, states that if a man's sexual desire is so great that he afraid of committing a worse sin, then he is allowed to masturbate in order to avoid a worse sin.
Female
in Ben Ish Chai said that the Halakha is that female masturbation is wrong because it creates evil forces and brings the woman to connect spiritually with the evil angel Samael. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein said it is forbidden 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.
Sexual fantasy and pornography
The halakhic literature discusses the prohibitions of hirhur and histaklut. Many of the practices of tzniut serve to prevent these prohibitions from occurring.
Sexual practices and culture
Premarital sex
In medieval Europe, the practice of bundling was common for young engaged couples.
Consent
The Talmud says that a man cannot force his wife into having sex. In Nedarim, the Talmud also claims that rebellious children will come from people who conceive a child in certain ways, including if a women has sex out of fear of her husband, if either one is drunk, and if a woman is raped, along with other examples.
