Post by 1dell on Nov 6, 2004 12:10:09 GMT -5
Masturbation:
I do not believe there is a specific commandment against masturbation in the Hebrew Scriptures. Many Rabbis interpret the following as such a prohibition:
Genesis 38: 8-10 "And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not (that the offspring would not) be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore He slew him also"
I believe Onan's sin was not masturbation, but failing to carry out the Commandment of G-d as given to him by the prophet Judah. Onan was being selfish because he "knew that the seed should not be his" (that the offspring would not be his possession).
That said, I believe that the Holy Scriptures do comment against masturbation, at least excessively (even though I do not believe there is a specific Commandment against it):
Leviticus 15: 16-18 "And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the evening. And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even."
Deut. 23: 10 "If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: 11. But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again."
From these two verses we can see that the only times that "seed of copulation" was emitted was either during lawful intercourse or as an accident (nocturnal emission or "wet dream"). Now, it is possible, that masturbation was more commonplace than we are led to believe during ancient times, and that the above verses, once again, relate Judaism's "modesty".
Further, the purpose of emitting seed is clear in the following passage:
Genesis 9: 7 "And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein".
Finally, the commandments concerning Holyness and Righteousness have bearing on this subject:
Leviticus 20: 7 " Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your G-d".
Deuteronomy 23:14 "For the Lord thy G-d walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that He see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."
All the above said, there may be times when men, being human, may 'need' to trangress this Rabbinical commandment, rather than one of the Biblical Commandments . In other words, the urge may be very strong, yet there is no 'legal' outlet. If this is done, one should be cautious to limit the frequency of such behavior [the Greeks had a saying, "Nothing in excess", which would apply nicely here]; limit it to the bathroom (since this is the one place in the house G-d's name is not written, spoken, read or even thought) or bedroom (where no religious books or articles are to be found); avoid unclean thoughts; and be certain that such behavior does not keep him from G-d.
Sex on the Sabbath:
Many contemporary Jews consider the Sabbath to be the choicest day for intercourse. Karaites, on the other hand, refrain from this type of union on our most Holy of days. I agree with the Karaites on this subject. Intercourse may result in pregnancy, which is a form of creating, which is clearly prohibited on the Sabbath. Additionally, our thoughts should be on G-d, not on personal pleasure. We also have to be careful of ritual purity for the purpose of prayers (see Prayer section).
I do not believe there is a specific commandment against masturbation in the Hebrew Scriptures. Many Rabbis interpret the following as such a prohibition:
Genesis 38: 8-10 "And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not (that the offspring would not) be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore He slew him also"
I believe Onan's sin was not masturbation, but failing to carry out the Commandment of G-d as given to him by the prophet Judah. Onan was being selfish because he "knew that the seed should not be his" (that the offspring would not be his possession).
That said, I believe that the Holy Scriptures do comment against masturbation, at least excessively (even though I do not believe there is a specific Commandment against it):
Leviticus 15: 16-18 "And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the evening. And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even."
Deut. 23: 10 "If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: 11. But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again."
From these two verses we can see that the only times that "seed of copulation" was emitted was either during lawful intercourse or as an accident (nocturnal emission or "wet dream"). Now, it is possible, that masturbation was more commonplace than we are led to believe during ancient times, and that the above verses, once again, relate Judaism's "modesty".
Further, the purpose of emitting seed is clear in the following passage:
Genesis 9: 7 "And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein".
Finally, the commandments concerning Holyness and Righteousness have bearing on this subject:
Leviticus 20: 7 " Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your G-d".
Deuteronomy 23:14 "For the Lord thy G-d walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that He see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."
All the above said, there may be times when men, being human, may 'need' to trangress this Rabbinical commandment, rather than one of the Biblical Commandments . In other words, the urge may be very strong, yet there is no 'legal' outlet. If this is done, one should be cautious to limit the frequency of such behavior [the Greeks had a saying, "Nothing in excess", which would apply nicely here]; limit it to the bathroom (since this is the one place in the house G-d's name is not written, spoken, read or even thought) or bedroom (where no religious books or articles are to be found); avoid unclean thoughts; and be certain that such behavior does not keep him from G-d.
Sex on the Sabbath:
Many contemporary Jews consider the Sabbath to be the choicest day for intercourse. Karaites, on the other hand, refrain from this type of union on our most Holy of days. I agree with the Karaites on this subject. Intercourse may result in pregnancy, which is a form of creating, which is clearly prohibited on the Sabbath. Additionally, our thoughts should be on G-d, not on personal pleasure. We also have to be careful of ritual purity for the purpose of prayers (see Prayer section).
