Written by Maya B. Alma. Maya B. Alma is Jewrotica’s new Double Mitzvah columnist!
Check out last week’s column, Double Mitzvah – Yitro.
State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are…called into question by today’s decision.
Justice Antonin Scalia
It was only last week that I kicked off my commentary on Parashat Yitro with a Jimmy Carter quotation about adultery. Now, Scalia? I promise (b’li neder), no political quotes next week.
But the Supreme Court Justice, dissenting in Lawrence v. Texas, the 2003 case which overturned state laws banning sex between two men, offers a perfect example of the slippery slope argument that arises around the question of equal marriage. People who believe in the cause of equal marriage, or have a generally sex-positive outlook, are sometimes challenged: if that arrangement, or act, is allowed, why not this one?
The Bible is often cited by those who would see society on a slippery slope toward some kind of dystopian world of sexual depravity and abuse. All of these things are banned in its pages; of course making one legal opens the door to legalizing all the others. It’s but a short step from two men, or two women, forming a consensual and loving relationship and building a family, to “man on boy, or man on dog,” as then-Senator Rick Santorum put it in a notorious interview from 2003. (To be fair, he was actually drawing a distinction between consenting adults and those scenarios, while making the argument that none of us, including heterosexual married couples, have a right to privacy. Which is even worse.).
This week’s parashah, Mishpatim, takes us right to the heart of the matter. And for those of us who would push back against the Santorums and Scalias of the world, the verses in question, as read by one particular Jewish commentator, make for interesting reading.
Let me be clear: I’m not suggesting that ibn Ezra would have been in favor of equal marriage. Ultimately, I think the best arguments for equal marriage lie outside of the Bible, in the “text-people,” our friends, our family members, ourselves, who have formed loving relationships and families. But when people draw invidious comparisons, it helps to show them certain laws in their proper context. It also helps to remember that nearly a millennium ago, others saw them in the same light.
Here then, as a public service, are verses from this week’s portion, with the commentary of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra (1089-1164). First, the text:
If a man seduces a virgin for whom the bride-price has not been paid, and lies with her, he must make her his wife by payment of a bride-price. If her father refuses to give her to him, he must still weigh out silver in accordance with the bride-price for virgins. You shall not tolerate a sorceress. Whoever lies with a beast shall be put to death (Exodus 22:15-18).
And now, selections from the commentary:
If a man seduces. Torah has finished speaking (in the previous fourteen verses) about theft of property, and now begins to speak about “theft of the heart,” which is seduction. The seducer preys upon young girls (na’arot), whose da’at (here best translated as “capacity to make an informed decision”) is not yet fully formed.
A sorceress. What is the reason for mentioning this after the law about the virgin? Because appetites that want to be fulfilled work magic upon us, casting a spell.
Whoever. Torah first mentioned the seduction of the young woman who can’t actually form an opinion and make a decision. Now it mentions the beast, who cannot cry out (as a woman can). And elsewhere (Deut 22:24-27), it mentions the case of the woman who is able to cry out.
Taken together, ibn Ezra’s comments form a mini-essay on the theme of informed consent, and show us the absurdity of the slippery slope argument when applied to equal marriage. Entering into “relationships” with children who are not yet able to understand what’s happening, abusing voiceless animals, using violence as if it were love…indeed chasing any appetite that leaves victims in its wake: are all forms of theft, and have absolutely nothing to do with relationships formed by consenting adults.
This isn’t a novel idea imposed upon the text during permissive times by activists with an agenda. It’s the conclusion of one of the great pashtahim, a Jewish “originalist” who wanted to know: what do the words actually mean to say? Justice Scalia, take note!
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Jewrotica is inspiring Jews and erotica with holiness and coolness, and is the pride of progressive Judaism. Jewrotica – awesome!
I attended and participated in last month’s Jewrotica event. The engaging performers and Ayo, our inviting host, inspired the audience to feel like one big community. What a great way to inspire our community to embrace sex as a beautiful thing that can be fun, exciting, sacred, sensual, ridiculous, scary and everything in between!
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.
My opinion on Jewrotica is: It’s sexy. It’s awesome. It’s Judaism to the next level. It’s what we should all be getting into!
I’m into Jewrotica. I went in for my second circumcision.
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.
Jewrotica is awesome. It expands the mind and for people who were raised with narrow views on sexuality. Whether you are Jewish or not, or in different sects of Judaism like Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, no matter what your background or where you’re from, Jewrotica gets you to see Judaism and how it relates to sexuality in new ways. I really appreciate Ayo being here and helping us learn different ways to connect with our sexuality.
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
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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