INTRODUCTION

I the creation tale of Genesis man discovered his nakedness and the Bible began to deal with sex openly; that frankness was followed by the rest of the Bible in wild stories, very specific laws, and graphic poetic imagery. Large parts of the rabbinic literature deal with sexual questions both in entire tractates of the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi and throughout the rest of its pages.

Sex has always played a major part in human life, and Judaism dealt with it openly, regulated it, but did not seek to suppress it. Nothing was left undiscussed; though the issues that raised questions varied through the centuries. In recent years we have been concerned primarily with medical issues as science has discovered new methods of birth control and reproductive technologies. The older questions of ritual cleanliness, sexual conduct, marriage and family continue, but have often been seen in a different light. This volume deals with a limited number of these issues.

We have begun with two overviews that treat the role of sex in Jewish theology. The Bible waged a struggle against paganism deities that mirrored human sexual life at its best and its worst. That struggle succeeded so that the God of Israel remained asexual, but sexual notions continue to play a major role in the theology of Jewish mysticism.

Jewish law, which governs and directs Jewish life, has dealt with human sexual issues. The female body with its reproductive cycle needed to be confronted. That need and the rituals connected with it in the contemporary world have been discussed in one essay.

Even ordinary sexual life can be complicated. To be helpful the classical literature discussed it and repeated those discussions in later centuries. A portion of those has been the subject of one essay.

The emotions aroused by sex have been a constant source of danger to individuals and to society. Temptations have always existed, and Judaism has sought to understand them and to find an appropriate way to deal with them. Efforts to respond sometimes brought legislation which sometimes succeded and on other occasions