Rabbi Yonah thought it was worthwhile to clarify the question. He says, “It’s not points, it’s holiness.” He believes that the union of a married couple on Shabbos is parallel and linked to the union of the Jewish people with God.
Rabbi Yohan also noted that there is a passage in the Igeret HaKodesh supporting the concept that sexual union can also mean spiritual elevation. Shabbos is already a time of spiritual elevation. So – double elevation.
Said the leader of a modern shul in downtown Manhattan: I don’t know how God keeps score on such things but it’s certainly more, um, “efficient.”
Says Rabbi Rachel Barenblat (aka the Velveteen Rabbi) “More oneg FTW.”
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The scriptural source for Oneg Shabbat (Sabbath pleasure) is in Isaiah where it says “and call the Sabbath a delight” (Isaiah 58:13).Having sex any time is a mitzvah. It’s a double mitzvah on Shabbat because it adds to the pleasure (Oneg) of Shabbat. It’s the same thing as eating good food on Shabbat – that’s also a double mitzvah. This obviously does not count for Gefilte Fish which we (the Sephardic Jews) hold to be a gastronomic abomination.
I should add that this does not apply to a man consummating his Marriage on Shabbat with a virgin bride. That isn’t permitted because in tearing the hymen one is making a wound. It’s a rollicking discussion in the Gemara, you can look it up in Ketubot 6a and 6b.
Then there are some that wonder if sex in fact should not be allowed on the Sabbath because it is a “Melachah” – one of the 39 acts of labor/creation forbidden on the Sabbath (defined as such because these were used to build the Mishkan). What Melachas might one think are involved in sex and procreation? Well there’s “Zeriah” or “Planting.” Yes, a man does “seed” a woman during sex but the reference is purely agricultural. Then there’s “Molid” or “Creating” but that’s only a Melachah if it meets 3 criteria – the creation is to occur directly as a result of an action or actions – it is highly likely that the act will cause the creation and – the act is being done solely for the purpose of creating. Thus pleasurable sex clearly doesn’t apply here. But still, it’s always enlightening to contemplate these otherwise silly notions.
I always thought that the language of Double Mitzvah connected back to “lechem mishnah”, the double portion of bread that we make the Hamotzi blessing on and consume at each Sabbath meal. When the Jews were wandering in the desert and dependent on the largess of God’s manna that fell from the sky, the people collected a double portion on Fridays so that they would not need to toil and collect on the Sabbath. Our tradition of serving two challah breads on the Sabbath is to remind us of the double portion of mannah.So, how does this tie into sex? I’d be lying if I said that I was sure, but the idea of having double pleasure and double food on the Sabbath is not a premise that I am inclined to argue with!
Beloved team members, I’m not much of a ‘Talmida Chachama‘ (studious scholar). If anything, I am a pretty promiscuous student, given my occupation 😉 Nonetheless, I’m aware that the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 280:1 (a codice of Jewish law) mentions this:תשמיש המטה מתענוגי שבת הוא, לפיכך עונת תלמידי חכמים הבריאים מליל שבת לליל שבת.
Marital relations are among the delights (“oneg”) of Shabbat, and therefore the time for marital relations for a healthy Torah scholar is from Friday night to Friday night.
AND, I’m familiar with an Ebook called Double Mitzvah by Erica DeQuaya, pretty steamy stuff…
Are you still here?? It’s almost Friday..;)
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
What an incredible night Jewrotica was!!!! There was this fantastic moment, in a sea of Jews of all sexualities, ages, backgrounds and denominations, that I realized we were all in this together! I hope that there are many more events coming to Austin soon!
The Jewrotica event “Evening of Jewrotica: Bedside Reading” was awesome. As Master of Confessions, I got to read the deepest, darkest secrets of people in the room out loud… It was scintillating, titillating, and – yes – even educational!
I’m Heshy Fried from Frum Satire and I am very, very frum. And I completely support Jewrotica – it’s doing a service to the frum community. We need some sort of kosher sexual education. Jewrotica even has a system that allows frum filters to filter out certain things to make it PG for us. It’s mamish Torah. It’s like The Little Midrash Says for sex.
You may not tell your mom that you’re going to a live Jewrotica reading (or whatever clever name you will dub these events) but you will tell your friends. However, both would be jealous if they find out that they missed it. I think it will only be a matter of time before Jewrotica helps us reclaim the term “Dirty Jew” the way rap music has done for “The ‘N’ Word.” I know I am now proud to be a Dirty Jew!
I’m so glad that Jewrotica is represented here at Jewlicious! It’s bringing voices that need to be heard in the Jewish discussion and Jewish climate environment.
At Jewrotica’s Evening of Bedside Readings, students declaimed monologues on sexual encounters that had a Jewish twist. At Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the speakers pushed their own boundaries by performing a range of explicit narratives that challenged how the audience thought of the relationship to Judaism and sex. During the speakers’ preparation, the arguments about which narratives would be appropriate forced students to take a stand and voice their opinion on their own beliefs about Judaism an… Read more
Jewrotica was everything I had dreamed of and more: sexy attendees, tantalizing confessions, and well-written literature to boot! More importantly, it empowers us Jews to reach inside and own our sexy selves and heritage!
Jewrotica is inspiring Jews and erotica with holiness and coolness, and is the pride of progressive Judaism. Jewrotica – awesome!
I stepped out of my comfort zone to be a part of this. I was glad to open up the topic of sexuality in my community. We are trying to build a safe space to talk about sex. The result I am most happy about coming from this event is that hopefully now my friends know they can come and talk to me, that I can be their ‘safe space’.
While many people fear the “sex talk,” Jewrotica offers an opportunity for writers and audiences to speak about sexuality in a open and safe space. When I attended a Jewrotica reading, I heard stories that reminded me that love takes many forms, and that expressing it is a vital part of who we are as a people.
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