"BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY"

certainly not growing as is the rest of the population. In all Western lands we face a diminution of the Jewish population. Fifty years after the Holocaust we have not regained the population which we lost.

The ancient commandment,"Be fruitful and multiply", must be seen in a proper theological perspective as demonstrated in the opening section of this essay. In addition, we must face the demographic realities. The commandment needs to be taken seriously as incumbent upon all Jews. We Liberal Jews can no longer support birth control for ourselves even if we do so for the broader world.

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

There are specific issues which played no role earlier but are important for us as Reform Jews. We are concerned with the role of women and the issues raised by the Women's Liberation movement. If women are to realize their full potential, then we cannot burden them with decades of child raising. If we advocate larger families, are we able to do so in a context which will permit women to exercise their new freedom and to establish themselves appropriately in the broader world? How is this to be accomplished? We should begin by stating that we reject the traditional rabbinic interpretation which saw this commandment incumbent upon men alone. There is certainly nothing in the original text of Genesis to indicate that; rabbinic tradition interprets the verse in this fashion because of the statement to Noah, and more directly due to the general male orientation of the entire Bible . If we see this commandment as equally important for men and women, we must address the practical consequences and difficulties which will stand in the way of its fulfillment in the modern Jewish community.

Although the commandment addresses individuals, there is also a communal factor. The community can not only encourage larger families, but must provide for their well-being and education. Neither the community nor the synagogue has seen this as a communal task. However, we can establish by analogy that this is appropriate.