{"product_id":"sanctified-sex-the-twothousandyear-jewish-debate-on-marital-intimacy-9780827614666","title":"Sanctified Sex  The TwoThousandYear Jewish Debate","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSanctified Sex\u003c\/i\u003e draws on two thousand years of rabbinic debates to address competing aspirations for loving intimacy, passionate sexual union, and sanctity in marriage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An encyclopedic review of Jewish attitudes toward marital intimacy . . . valuable as a reference work for anyone interested in the topic. . . . [and] an important reminder that even the most private and intimate of acts can become a cultural marker and the focus of leaders who wish to shape their communities.\"—\u003ci\u003eCCAR Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Few writers can command the vast array of genres of Jewish literature and synthesize them the way Zion does. Earlier works have addressed Jewish attitudes to sexuality . . . but . . . these are written for academic audiences. Zion has the gift of being able to popularize even when analyzing difficult texts, using a comprehensible and engaging style appropriate for a general audience.\"—Martin Lockshin, \u003ci\u003eJerusalem Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This book is highly recommended for any reader, novice and expert alike, wishing to familiarize themselves with the Jewish tradition's polyphonic views and positions on matters of sexuality and marital intimacy.\"—David Tesler, \u003ci\u003eAJL News and Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Noam Zion has written another classic. This treasure trove of sources and insights from the full spectrum of a four-thousand-year-old tradition, uncensored, from the Bible and Talmud down to modern liberal rabbis and feminists, might be called \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Halachic Loving\u003c\/i\u003e because it is not just a static anthology; it is shaped to guide and enhance the pleasure of sex and the depth of development of intimacy, communication and relationship. This is a book to be read, savored, reflected on, discussed, and applied to life.”—Blu Greenberg and Yitz Greenberg, authors, respectively, of \u003ci\u003eOn Women and Judaism\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Jewish Way\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Combining exacting, serious textual analysis with entertaining, often comical stories of rabbis and their sexual habits, Noam Zion takes us for a ride through the highways and byways of the Jewish erotic imagination. He deserves high praise for his erudition, creativity, and courage.”—Shaul Magid, professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College, and author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Post-Judaism: Identity and Renewal in a Postethnic Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Noam Zion masterfully illuminates how two thousand years of commentary and debate have amplified the subject of sex in Jewish tradition and enriched it with nuance. Engage your mind, open your heart, and take this book to your bed!”—Rachel Biale, author of \u003ci\u003eWomen and Jewish Law\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGrowing Up Below Sea Level: A Kibbutz Childhood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Who knew that there was so much marital drama in rabbinic literature? Noam Zion has provided the definitive anthology and comparative commentary on this subject.”—David Biale, Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History, University of California, Davis, and author of \u003ci\u003eEros and the Jews \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eHasidism: A New History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Moving effortlessly between traditional Jewish sources produced throughout history, Noam Zion makes us reflect, as Jews and simply as humans, on what’s actually at stake in conjugal relationships. I strongly recommend this erudite, accessible, sensitive, and witty guide to all.”—Michael Satlow, professor, religious and Judaic studies, Brown University, and author of \u003ci\u003eTasting the Dish: Rabbinic Rhetorics of Sexuality\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eSanctified Sex\u003c\/i\u003e is a learned, insightful, and engaging treatment of Jewish teachings concerning love and sex. For the rabbi who thinks s\/he already knows it all or the graduate student who wants to know it all, there is no better resource. Noam Zion is a scholar who writes with a clear, accessible voice, and readers who are willing to dive deep into this subject will find themselves immensely rewarded by his masterful treatment.”—David Kraemer, professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, Jewish Theological Seminary, and author of \u003ci\u003eA History of the Talmud\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eSanctified Sex\u003c\/i\u003e is both timeless and timely. For the mainstream Jewish community, which tends to default to saying that Judaism is sex-positive (in contrast with Christianity), this deeper examination is warranted. For the academic community, the different eras the book encompasses guarantee a broad range of applicability. For the general community, Noam Zion is asking a key human question: what tools can I find to strengthen a long-term marriage?”—Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, senior rabbi, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal, and editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments    \u003cbr\u003e Introduction     The Two-Thousand-Year Debate    \u003cbr\u003e Functions of Halakhah in Guiding Marital Relationships    \u003cbr\u003e This Volume: Inclusions and Exclusions    \u003cbr\u003e Part One. Marital Duties and Scheduled Sex: Torah and Mishnah\u003cbr\u003e 1. Legislating Marital Sexuality: Biblical and Rabbinic Mandates     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Torah’s Two Foundational Narratives of Human Sexuality     \u003cbr\u003e Talmudic Interpretations of Adam and Eve’s Relationship    \u003cbr\u003e Marital Duties in Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud    \u003cbr\u003e The Revolutionary Rabbinic Marriage Contract    \u003cbr\u003e Rules for Onah’s Frequency    \u003cbr\u003e Romantic and Liberal Critiques of the Mishnah’s Obligatory Sex    \u003cbr\u003e Two Ultra-Orthodox Rejoinders to the Romantic Critique of Onah    \u003cbr\u003e Modern Applications: Perel’s Scheduling of Intimacy and the Youngs’ Sexperiment    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion    \u003cbr\u003e Part Two. Talmudic Disputes: Kama Sutra versus Ascetic Modesty in Three Rabbis’ Bedrooms\u003cbr\u003e 2. Talmudic Proprieties of Pillow Talk: Invading the Privacy of Rav’s Bedroom     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Kahana’s Espionage in Rav’s Bedroom     \u003cbr\u003e Rabbinic Views on Privacy    \u003cbr\u003e Akiba: Torah over Privacy    \u003cbr\u003e Kahana’s True Character?     \u003cbr\u003e Halakhic Debate on Pillow Talk    \u003cbr\u003e Rav’s Worldview: Love and Pleasure    \u003cbr\u003e Maimonides, Elazar Hasid, and Hirsch     \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: Takeaways for a Modern Marriage     3. Modesty or License in the Marital Bed: Talmudic Debates about Imma Shalom and Rabbi Eliezer’s Midnight Sex      Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Eliezer’s Bedroom Etiquette    \u003cbr\u003e The Angelic Code of Modesty    \u003cbr\u003e Contesting Ascetic Traditions    \u003cbr\u003e Birth Defects and Emotionally Defective Relationships    \u003cbr\u003e The Medieval Legal Debate    \u003cbr\u003e Modern Applications: Ben-Shimon, Soloveitchik, and Calderon     4. Talmudic Techniques of Arousal: Rav Hisda’s Sex Education Tutorial for His Daughters     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Hisda’s Erotic Pedagogy    \u003cbr\u003e Modern Applications for Orthodox Couples: Aviner and Shuchatowitz’s Marital Guidelines and Sigala’s Sensual Portraiture    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion    \u003cbr\u003e Part Three. Medieval Mysticism and Law: Sacred Love and Legal Limits\u003cbr\u003e 5. A Mirror of the Divine Union: Kabbalists’ Sacred Eros of Marriage     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Midrash on the Cherubs’ Erotic Embrace    \u003cbr\u003e Ra’avad’s Kabbalist Manual for Sexual Union    \u003cbr\u003e Aristotelian Jewish Philosophers versus Kabbalist Platonists    \u003cbr\u003e Zohar: Reconceiving Erotic Pleasure    \u003cbr\u003e Marital Intimacy: Zohar versus Lurianic Kabbalah    \u003cbr\u003e Marital Intimacy: Talmud versus Zohar    \u003cbr\u003e New Age Applications: Kabbalah Centre, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and Dennis on Spiritualized Sexuality    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     6. Freestyle Eroticism? Permissive versus Ascetic Medieval Codes of Law     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Permissive School: Maimonides and Isaac the Tosafist    \u003cbr\u003e Ascetic School: Karo on Sanctity against Desire    \u003cbr\u003e Permissive School: Reply to Karo    \u003cbr\u003e Dissemination of Karo’s Ideology    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: Medieval Legacies and Modern Predicaments    \u003cbr\u003e Addendum: Maimonides’ Prescriptions for Medieval Viagra    \u003cbr\u003e Part Four. Contemporary Haredim: Hasidim versus Litvaks on Marital Intimacy\u003cbr\u003e 7. Ascetic Bedrooms: Hasidic Sects Set Stringent Boundaries on Marital Intimacy     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e The Besht versus the Maggid on “Worship through Physicality”     \u003cbr\u003e Historic Origins: Sanctity through Stringency    \u003cbr\u003e Gur’s Ordinances Police the Bedroom    \u003cbr\u003e Slonimer Rebbe’s Pep Talk    \u003cbr\u003e Arranged Marriages and the Women of Gur    \u003cbr\u003e A Disenchanted Disciple of Skver Hasidism    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: Takeaways for a Modern Marriage     8. “Break Their Evil Nature”: Litvak Yeshivot and Salanter’s Mussar Suppress Desire and Familial Affection     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Litvak Beginnings and the First Modern Yeshiva    \u003cbr\u003e The Legacy of Premodern Ascetic Piety    \u003cbr\u003e Salanter’s Mussar Movement: Yeshiva Education Curbs Natural Inclinations    \u003cbr\u003e Salanter’s Legacy: The Kelm, Navaredok, and Slabodka Schools    \u003cbr\u003e Mussar’s Apathy to Wife and Family    \u003cbr\u003e Shifting Sands of Mussar: Wolbe’s Yoke of Marriage and North America’s Revival of Mussar    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: Paradigm Shift from Mussar’s Apathy to Litvak Intimacy     9. Devotion and Desire: Litvak Revolution Equates Marital Intimacy with True Piety     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Hazon Ish’s Holy Letter: Championing Marital Conversation    \u003cbr\u003e Kanievsky’s Holy Letter: Marital Passion and Compassion    \u003cbr\u003e Sher’s Letter, The Holiness of Israel: Reviving Haredi Desire    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     10. Higher Purposes of Marriage: Education for Love, Peace, and Sanctity     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Shuchatowitz: The Grave Sin of Rushed Sexual Performance    \u003cbr\u003e The Scholar’s Onah: Shuchatowitz versus Aviner    \u003cbr\u003e Marital Sexuality as the Synthesis of Nature and Spirituality    \u003cbr\u003e Covenantal Marriage    \u003cbr\u003e Loveless Sex Desecrates Sacred Matrimony    \u003cbr\u003e The Higher Purposes of Onah: Love and Unity, Humanity and Sanctity    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     11. Couple Communication as a Mitzvah: New Litvak Marriage Manuals Teach the Art of Loving Conversation     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Flashback to Talmudic Pillow Talk    \u003cbr\u003e Permitted Spousal Communication: Removing Acrimony and Arousing Desire    \u003cbr\u003e Aviner’s Advice: Making a Study of One’s New Spouse    \u003cbr\u003e Shuchatowitz’s Advice: Acknowledging Gender Differences in Marriage    \u003cbr\u003e Haredi Educators Combine Sanctity and Intimacy    \u003cbr\u003e Litvak Revolution or Haredi Crisis Management?    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion    \u003cbr\u003e Part Five. Modern North American Rabbis: Confronting the Sexual Revolution\u003cbr\u003e 12. Redeeming Sexuality through Halakhah: Modern Orthodox Philosophers of Jewish Law Sanctify Pleasure within Marriage     Introduction: Comparing Haredim and North American Liberal Rabbis    \u003cbr\u003e Toward a Modern Orthodox Philosophy and Practice of Sanctified Sex    \u003cbr\u003e Greenberg’s Proposal to Modernize American Orthodoxy’s Sexual Ethics    \u003cbr\u003e Linzer and Marcus’s Podcast, The Joy of Text     \u003cbr\u003e Berkovits: Humanizing Sexual Relationships    \u003cbr\u003e Soloveitchik: Redeeming Natural Sexuality    \u003cbr\u003e Lamm’s The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage     \u003cbr\u003e Lichtenstein’s “Of Marriage” and Ostroff’s To Know How to Love    \u003cbr\u003e Orthodox Women’s Internet Responsa    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     13. Struggling with Sexual Liberation: Liberal Judaism’s Rabbis Tackle Ominous and Liberating Dimensions of the Sexual Revolution     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Problems Raised by Sexual Liberation    \u003cbr\u003e Formulating Liberal Rabbinic Responses    \u003cbr\u003e Borowitz: Covenantal Sexual Ethics    \u003cbr\u003e Green: New Halakhah and New Kabbalah    \u003cbr\u003e Strassfeld: Sexual Togetherness as Tikkun Olam    \u003cbr\u003e Waskow: A Life-Cycle Approach to Sex Ethics    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     14. Sliding-Scale Sex Ethics: Liberal Halakhah Balances Marital Sanctity and the Realities of Nonmarital Sex     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Sexual Ethics through Jewish Values Clarification    \u003cbr\u003e Conservative and Reform Responsa    \u003cbr\u003e Three Tiers of Liberal Sexual Ethics    \u003cbr\u003e Traditional Halakhah and Contemporary Conservative Jews    \u003cbr\u003e Realistic Halakhah Condones Lesser Sins to Avoid Greater Sins    \u003cbr\u003e Test Case 1: Adultery Revisited    \u003cbr\u003e Test Case 2: Open Marriage and Polyamory    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     15. Legalizing Living Together? Competing Rabbinic Policies     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Historical Background: The Pilegesh    \u003cbr\u003e Emden’s Pathbreaking Halakhah: Enhancing Marital Lovemaking and Legalizing a Paramour    \u003cbr\u003e On Living Together: Contemporary Halakhic Debate    \u003cbr\u003e Test Case 3: Caring for the Caretaker Whose Spouse Is Incapacitated    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     16. A Feminist Alternative to Halakhic Marriage: Jewish Theologians Rethink the Marriage Contract and Gender Biases     Introduction    \u003cbr\u003e Radical Jewish Feminism versus Liberal Judaism: Revolution or Reform?    \u003cbr\u003e Radical Jewish Feminism versus Secular Feminism: Sacred or Private Relationships?    \u003cbr\u003e Plaskow’s Approach: Women Returning to Sinai    \u003cbr\u003e Adler’s Approach: Redeeming Tradition for Egalitarian Holiness    \u003cbr\u003e A New and Renewed Aggadah for Covenantal Love    \u003cbr\u003e A New Halakhah: B’rit Ahuvim    \u003cbr\u003e Multiform Sexuality, Gender Fluidity, and Hybridity as Divinely Blessed    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion     Conclusion: Aggadah and Halakhah of Marriage     Aggadah of Gender Justice versus Gender Equality    \u003cbr\u003e Aggadah of Sexual Playfulness versus Spiritualized Sanctity    \u003cbr\u003e Aggadah of Negative versus Positive Sanctity in the Institution of Marriage \u003cbr\u003e Aggadah of Negative versus Positive Sanctity in Sexual Relations    \u003cbr\u003e Halakhah of Onah: Male Prerogative versus Female Right    \u003cbr\u003e Halakhah of Caring Communication    \u003cbr\u003e Halakhah’s Labors of Love    \u003cbr\u003e Notes    \u003cbr\u003e Bibliography    \u003cbr\u003e Index    \u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Jewish Publication Society","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49406205755735,"sku":"9780827614666","price":25.19,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780827614666.jpg?v=1730494923","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/sanctified-sex-the-twothousandyear-jewish-debate-on-marital-intimacy-9780827614666","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}