New research explores how sex became sacred in Judaism

Faced with Christianity’s negative attitude to libido, Judaism developed strong links between sex and holiness.

Orthodox rabba and scholar Dr Anat Sharbat believes part of the reasons for the positive relationship is the sages’ desire to dissociate themselves form the Christian world.

Sharbat’s doctoral thesis traces sources from the Bible through to the Sages, connecting sex and holiness.

“Whereas Christianity formulated a view in which sexuality is separated from holiness, Chazal (the sages) took the opposing stance. There was a debate between Judaism and Christianity on the matter.”

In a lecture series entitled “The Shekhina Among Them: Sexuality and Holiness in Rabbinic Literature,” she said Judaism contains two commandments that regulate sex between a married couple. The first is “Go forth and multiply,” appearing at the beginning of the Book of Genesis. The second is the Mitzvah of Onah, obligating the man to have satisfying sex with his wife.

 “One is a reproductive commandment, but the other is the commandment to pleasure. As we must give birth, sex is sanctified.

“Chazal didn’t develop their ideas in a vacuum, but rather within their environment. So, while Chazal were writing what they were writing, further streams were developing in Judaism. Second Temple period sects such as the group at Qumran, then later Early Christianity advocated ascetism.”

In her thesis, Sharbat focuses on three dimensions of holiness in Judaism: time, place and person. “In the dimension of time, I examine the holiest time – Shabbat, finding that the time the Sages chose to have sex was on the eve of Shabbat; in the dimension of space, I examine sexuality in the holiest place, the temple; in the third, human, dimension I examine the sexuality of the holiest person, Moses - the exception that proves the rule."

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How sex became sacred in Judaism (Ynet)