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Judaism and Sexual EthicsEducational Goals and Syllabus Goals: To explore the ideas of sexuality, intimacy and sexual ethics in Jewish thought. Background: For many of us, sexuality and intimacy are some of the issues that matter most, but for which we receive the least guidance. We will try to explore sexual ethics, and the ever-elusive notion of intimacy in a way that honors our minds and bodies, and respects our position as modern, thoughtful adults. Our approach is open-minded and non-judgmental. Dates / Times: Judaism & Sexual Ethics will take place on Thursday nights at the Bronfman Center, 5th Floor from 5-6. The exact dates can be found below: 1: September 24th – Orientation and “What is the Nature of Sex?” Jewish Texts: Genesis chs. 1-3; Levticus 19; Ramban on Leviticus 19:1-3. Major Themes: How should we think about sex? Is sex a purely biological act? Should it be treated as such? Is there anything unique about human sexuality? Can we speak of a function sex should or should not have? What would that be? Should there be such a thing as sex ethics? 2: October 8th - “Tzelem Elokim: Creation in the Divine Image and Principles for Intimacy” Jewish Texts: Genesis 1:27; Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; JT 9:4; TB Nedarim 20b Major Themes: What is human dignity? How is it understood in Jewish tradition? How can this theme inform our understanding of intimacy? 3: October 15th - “Pleasure and Frequency: The Commandment of Onah” Jewish Texts: Exodus 21:7-11; TB Ketubot 47b-48a; Mishnah Ketubaot 5;6; Sanhedrin 7a; Traditional Ketubah. Major Themes: How often should one have sex? Does frequency make a difference? What is the role of pleasure in sex? How important is pleasure? Is pleasure a physical sensation or something else? Should pleasure for its own sake be encouraged or discouraged when developing a sexual ethic? 4: October 22nd - “Tzniut: Modesty and Immodesty” Jewish Texts: Ecclesiastes 7:2; Micah 6:6-13; TB Makkot 24a; Major Themes: What are humility and modesty? What does it mean to behave in a modest way? Can one be ambitious and modest? What is modesty in the context of human sexuality? What is immodesty? 5: October 29th - “Niddah: Distance and Closeness in Relationships” Jewish Texts: Leviticus 15:19; Leviticus 18:19; Rashi on Leviticus 19:1; TB Niddah 31b. Major Themes: What is Niddah, or Jewish laws of family purity? What is the theology behind it? What is a mikveh and how is it used? Can these laws be relevant to a contemporary couple? 6: November 5th - “Devek: Or, Sex with Intimacy and Sex without Intimacy” Jewish Texts: TB Niddah 31b; Genesis 2:23; Ha’emek Davar Genesis 2:23; Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Major Themes: Does separation from one’s partner generation intimacy and longing or alienation? What does it mean to ‘cleave’ to one’s partner? Is this experience of extreme intimacy unique to sexuality, or can it exist in other settings? 7: November 12th - “Extra-Marital Sex: or, How to Grapple with Tradition” Jewish Texts: Jewish Texts: Prof. Zvi Zohar "Zugiyot al pi halacha li lo chupah ukidushin” (selections) R. Aharon Lichtenstein “Dear Yitzchak” (Selections). Major Themes: What is the relationship between sex and commitment? What are the problems and opportunities presented by committed relationships? What constitutes commitment? 8: November 19th - “Queerness: Non-Heterosexual relationships in the Jewish Tradition” Jewish Texts: Samuel I 19-20; Mava Metzia 84a-b Major Themes: How are non-heterosexual relationships understood in the Jewish tradition? Is there a place for them today? What are some of the ways Judaism has confronted this human reality? 9: December 3rd - “IFAQ: Infrequently Asked Questions” Jewish Texts: TBD Major Themes: In this final session we compile all the questions we never felt comfortable enough to ask and try responding to a few of them. We draw from the texts we have studied and the ideas we have explored to offer mature, thoughtful responses to our own questions. 10: December 10th - Final Reception |