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ACHAREI MOT-KEDOSHIM 5764-2004
"The Jewish Attitude Toward Sexuality"
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald
Both
of this week's parashiot, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim, contain
extensive instructions regarding forbidden marriages and
sexual offenses. Particularly in light of the redefinition
of acceptable sexual norms that is taking place in our
society today, these two chapters (Leviticus 18 &
20) appear particularly germane and relevant.
As
we've noted in previous studies of these parashiot, the
main purpose of Jewish life is to establish a "Kingdom
of Priests and a Holy Nation" (Exodus 19:6). The
world in which the newly-formed People of Israel found
themselves 3300 years ago was entirely antithetical to
that Divine prescription of holiness.
The
Midrash in Vayikra (Leviticus) graphically describes how
the ancient Israelite slaves had sunken to the 49th level
of impurity as they participated with their Egyptian masters
in the orgiastic "blood feasts" in ancient Egypt.
And now this inchoate and uninitiated people was destined
to confront the alluring blandishments of the local Canaanite
nations and be called upon to resist their enticing and
seductive decadent lifestyles.
The
late contemporary Bible scholar, Bernard J. Bamberberger,
writes that in the ancient Near East civilizations sexuality
was intimately associated with the Temple cult. The concept
of the "Mother Goddess," and her marriage to
a divine consort called "Baal," was a prominent
feature of those cultures. This divine union was often
celebrated with sexual orgies at the shrines or in the
fields. The pagan people of those times believed that
these rites increased the fertility of the soil. It was
not uncommon for male and female prostitutes to perform
at the temples, with their earnings donated to the temple
treasuries.
In
this most hostile moral environment, the Torah loudly
proclaimed (Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hashem Eh'lo'kay'nu
Hashem Echad," The Lord is our G-d, the Lord
is one. The Jewish G-d has no mother, no father or any
partners, and is not identified with any natural force
or principle. In stark contrast to the pagan idea, human
sexuality in Judaism is considered a Divine gift to be
used primarily for reproduction, but also for pleasure.
And while Judaism strongly condemned mindless surrender
to sensuality, the sexual impulse was not to be repressed,
but to be controlled.
It
is this sense of balance that Judaism tries to bring to
all human desires and expressions--whether it be food
or drink, thought or speech, modesty or humility, anger
or passivity. And so, while the Bible records 17 prohibited
relationships that the rabbis extended by an additional
26 relationships, Judaism is hardly a sexually ascetic
or repressive religion. To the contrary, reproduction
is a mitzvah in Judaism ("P'roo oor'voo,"
Genesis 1:28), and so is providing sexual pleasure to
one's wife (Exodus 21:10).
Although
adultery, incest, homosexual practices and intercourse
with animals were strictly forbidden, the Torah encourages
heterosexual marriage as the normal vehicle for sexual
expression, and girls and boys were often married at a
tender age. While marriage at an early age may be regarded
as problematic by contemporary standards, it was an extremely
effective way of controlling the youthful "hormones"
in ancient times. Sexuality within marriage was not only
natural, it was sanctified and holy. Marriage in Judaism
is therefore known as "Kiddushin," because
it is meant to serve as a vehicle for sanctifying the
people.
While
Judaism regarded the celibate lifestyle as sinful, it
was, apparently, practiced by some Jewish cults (possibly
the Essenes) in the ancient Dead Sea area before the turn
of the common era. It may have been these celibate groups
that influenced early Christianity to regard celibacy
as an exalted way of life. This, however, was never the
Jewish norm, and its practice was condemned by mainstream
Judaism. It is unclear whether our rabbis foresaw the
unfortunate behaviors that would result from the unnatural
demands of celibacy on human beings. Yet, once again,
Judaism has proven to be right on the money when perceiving
peoples' physical and psychological needs. As Bamberger
writes, "it was the Christian teachers who identified
‘the flesh' with sin, glorified celibacy, and regarded
marriage as a concession to human frailty." Jews
were never saddled with the concept of "Original
Sin." Procreation was a mitzvah (Genesis 1:28), so
much so, that in fact the human being is directed to cleave
to his wife, so that they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
Despite
the many restrictions recorded in parashiot Acharei Mot
and Kedoshim, Judaism looks upon the union of man and
woman within the marriage context as the most favorable
element in the building block of life. Even the "Yetzer
Hara"--the so-called evil inclination was declared
by the rabbis to be "very good" because it arouses
sexual desire and leads to the establishment of family
(Bereishith Rabbah 9:7). Because of this, the Jew
is called upon to serve G-d even with the evil impulse
as well as the good (Mishnah, Berachot 9:5).
It
is the critical concept of "balance" that truly
reflects the structure and substance of Jewish life. "Balance"--calls
out to the Jew to avoid extremes, not to canonize restrictions,
nor abuse liberties. Judaism is a civilization based on
structure, neither ascetic nor libertarian, neither excessive
nor repressive, but balanced. It is this Divine sense
of balance that one feels pulsating so profoundly in the
Torah as we read the dynamic chapters of Acharei Mot and
Kedoshim.
May
You Be Blessed.
Copyright
2007 National Jewish Outreach
Program www.njop.org
