The passionate Torah : sex and Judaism / edited by Danya Ruttenberg.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ruttenberg, Danya.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Sex.

Sexual ethics.

Modesty--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Modesty.

Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Homosexuality.

Feminism--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Feminism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this unique collection of essays, some of today’s smartest Jewish thinkers explore a broad range of fundamental questions in an effort to balance ancient tradition and modern sexuality.In the last few decades a number of factors—post-modernism, feminism, queer liberation, and more—have brought discussion of sexuality to the fore, and with it a whole new set of questions that challenge time-honored traditions and ways of thinking. For Jews of all backgrounds, this has often led to an unhappy standoff between tradition and sexual empowerment.Yet as The Passionate Torah illustrates, it is of critical importance to see beyond this apparent conflict if Jews are to embrace both their religious beliefs and their sexuality. With incisive essays from contemporary rabbis, scholars, thinkers, and writers, this collection not only surveys the challenges that sexuality poses to Jewish belief, but also offers fresh new perspectives and insights on the changing place of sexuality within Jewish theology—and Jewish lives. Covering topics such as monogamy, inter-faith relationships, reproductive technology, homosexuality, and a host of other hot-button issues, these writings consider how contemporary Jews can engage themselves, their loved ones, and their tradition in a way that’s both sexy and sanctified.Seeking to deepen the Jewish conversation about sexuality, The Passionate Torah brings together brilliant thinkers in an attempt to bridge the gap between the sacred and the sexual.Contributors: Rebecca Alpert, Wendy Love Anderson, Judith R. Baskin, Aryeh Cohen, Elliot Dorff, Esther Fuchs, Bonna Haberman, Elliot Kukla, Gail Labovitz, Malka Landau, Sarra Lev, Laura Levitt, Sara Meirowitz, Jay Michaelson, Haviva Ner-David, Danya Ruttenberg, Naomi Seidman, and Arthur Waskow.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Sotah

2 Prostitution

3 Divorcing Ba’al

4 The Sage and the Other Woman

5 Intermarriage, Gender, and Nation in the Hebrew Bible

6 Good Sex

7 The Erotics of Sexual Segregation

8 Reclaiming Nidah and Mikveh through Ideological and Practical Reinterpretation

9 The Goy of Sex

10 A Jewish Perspective on Birth Control and Procreation

11 Not Like a Virgin

12 Reconsidering Solitary Sex from a Jewish Perspective

13 “Created by the Hand of Heaven”

14 Toward a New Tzniut

15 On the Religious Signifi cance of Homosexuality; or, Queering God, Torah, and Israel

16 Heruta’s Ruse

17 Love the One You’re With

18 Eden for Grown-Ups

Glossary

Contributors

Index of Sources

Subject Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0-8147-7738-4

1-4416-1567-9

OCLC:

779828293