Category: Sex & Niddah

The Surrogacy Episode, Joy of Text 3:10

Rabbi Dov Linzer (Posted on July 11, 2018)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

On the Season 3 Finale we interview a Jewish woman who made the decision to be a surrogate and carry a child for someone else, with the support of her husband and their three young children. Carrie and Jamie Bornstein share personally and poignantly about what it means to help another couple become parents, and how their kids and their community dealt with this new reality.…

May the Humra Di’R. Zeira be Relaxed in Cases of Halakhic Infertility?

Rabbi Aryeh Klapper (Posted on June 18, 2018)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

Introduction “Halakhic infertility” occurs when observance of hilkhot niddah results in a woman ovulating only during the days that wife and husband are forbidden to be physically intimate. These situations result from post-biblical stringencies that lengthen the time of prohibition. This article discusses whether a couple may cease observing one such stringency, the humra di’R.…

May a Husband Give His Wife Supportive Touch During Childbirth? – Part 2

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on April 26, 2018

May a husband hold his wife’s hand or give her a massage during childbirth, according to halakhah?  We began to answer this question last week and came to the following interim conclusions: A pregnant woman is not considered to be in niddah until either she experiences uterine bleeding (distinct from mere stains), or until a limb of the baby emerges from the womb. …

May a Husband Give His Wife Supportive Touch During Childbirth?  – Part 1

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on April 19, 2018

QUESTION:  I am nine months pregnant, and my husband and I have been doing Lamaze classes to prepare for the birth of our baby.  Part of the Lamaze method includes pressure massage and massage of the abdomen.  I have been told, though, that it is forbidden by halakhah for my husband to do this because I will be in niddah at that time. …

May A Single Man Fulfill The Mitzvah Of Pru U’rvu (procreation)?

Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky (Posted on March 11, 2018)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

To read this teshuva in hebrew click here: Introduction Until the last generation, marriage and reproduction always went together. The only legitimate way of producing children was in the framework of marriage since non-marital sexual relationships are halakhically forbidden or, minimally, strongly discouraged.[1] In our generation, technologies have evolved that enable reproduction outside the context of marriage that do not cross these lines.…

The “Can We Really Do THAT?” Episode Part 2- Joy of Text 3:1

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on March 6, 2018

Which sexual acts are permitted in a marriage? The answers might surprise you! Find out why co-host Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus calls this one of “the most important episodes” of the podcast. Plus we interview the creator of the hit YouTube series SOON BY YOU, Leah Gottfried, about the challenges of dating as an Orthodox Jew, and we introduce a new take on the Final Word.…

Does Sexting Lead to Mixed Dancing? And More!- Joy of Text 1:3

Rabbi Dov Linzer (Posted on December 28, 2017)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

In this episode, Dr. Marcus and Rabbi Linzer tackle female masturbation and interview Miryam Kabakov about Eshel, a group for LGBT Orthodox Jews. In the Q&A: is it permissible to talk “dirty?”This episode was recorded live at Limmud NY. These sources accompany the third episode of the Joy of Text podcast.…

The Birth Control Episode- Joy of Text 3:3

Rabbi Dov Linzer (Posted on December 27, 2017)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

IUDs, condoms, the pill, oh my! We break down the pros and cons of these and other common birth control methods and the halachic considerations that render some forms of contraception more acceptable than others. Then we hear from internationally renowned educator Rivkah Slonim, the Chabbad rebbetzin at SUNY Binghamton, about her three decades of teaching Jewish college students about sex and marriage.…

Forbidden Fruit – Kiddushin 81a-b – Joy of Text 3:2

Rabbi Dov Linzer (Posted on November 14, 2017)
From the Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies

Cautionary tales from the Talmud illustrate the power of sexual temptation to lead even the most revered rabbis astray… But do these stories make too much of desire? Hosts Rabbi Dov Linzer and Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus and moderator Rebecca Honig Friedman discuss a passage from Kiddushin 81a-b.…

Fantasy, Concealing Abuse, Kama Sutra cards and vibrators- Joy of Text 1:1

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on November 10, 2017

Our first episode! We talk about fantasy: is there such thing as a “normal” fantasy? What’s the history of fantasizing in Judaism? What does Jewish law have to say about it? We also interviewed Michael Lesher about his new book on covering up sexual abuse in Orthodox communities.…

Hiding Under the Bed- Joy of Text 1:8

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on November 10, 2017

These sources accompany the (mini) eight episode of the Joy of Text podcast.   Hiding Under the Bed Babylonian Talmud Hagigah (5b)   |    (:תלמוד בבלי מסכת חגיגה (ה אמר רב: אפילו שיחה יתירה שבין איש לאשתו מגידים לו לאדם בשעת מיתה.…

How to Conceive a Baby Boy- Joy of Text 1:10

by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on November 10, 2017

These sources accompany the (mini) tenth episode of the Joy of Text podcast.   How to Conceive a Baby Boy Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 31a   |    (.בבלי, נדה דף (לא אמר רבי יצחק אמר רבי אמי: אשה מזרעת תחילה – יולדת זכר, איש מזריע תחילה – יולדת נקבה, שנאמר +ויקרא י”ב+ אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר.…