Judaism – Sexual Ethics & Marriage

Sexual Ethics

Sex & Marriage
In Judaism, sex is allowed only within the context of marriage.
Marriage is seen as a contract between a man & a woman excluding all other people.
Judaism forbids adultery, but within marriage, sex is a mitzvah – commandment. It is treasured as something which should be permanent, faithful & exclusive
The Jewish Scriptures accepted polygyny – when a man marries more than one woman – but it is almost universally outlawed today. Polgamy among Jewish people only exists where the law of the land allows this.

Divorce
Divorce is tolerated, but not encouraged in Judaism, except in cases of misconduct.
Today, a divorce is permitted in Judaism, as is remarriage
If the husband is missing, for example in a war – but is not known irrefutably to have died, his wide cannot obtain a certificate of divorce, so she cannot remarry. Occasionally, a husband may offer his wife a conditional get (a divorce certificate) before he goes to war, outlining the circumstances in which his wife may presume he is dead.
These days, a woman’s consent for divorce must usually be obtained for a divorce to go ahead. The divorce or get, must be physically handed between the couple.

Contraception
Contraception is not widely approved of in Jewish teachings. Its use is seen as being at odds with the instruction ‘to be fruitful and multiply’.
Strict Jewish teachings discourage any form of contraception
Different branches of Judaism have different expectations with regard to contraception.
Orthodox Jews have the strictest rules against it use
Liberal Jews are more likely to teach that contraception is acceptable in certain circumstances. This might be the case if a married couple already has several children & they don’t want any more kids.
Reform Jews might be willing to allow the married couple to decide the