Dr. Ruth Asks: What is Sex For?

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, renowned psychosexual therapist and author of Heavenly Sex: Sexuality in the Jewish Tradition, poses a few questions about sex:

The old-time Jewish comics made it seem that Jewish women are more prone to having headaches than sex. The jokes may have been funny, but they became part of a folklore which isn't based in Jewish roots. The truth is that the Talmud instructs Jewish men to make sure that they satisfy their wives; I don't believe you'll find such instructions in any other religion.

 Why does Judaism believe that intimacy should be pleasurable? What role do you think sex plays in our lives?

Rabbi Steinsaltz's response:

Judaism does not view sex as unclean, as a necessary humiliation for the purposes of increase. Judaism does not see sexuality only as an instrument for the propagation of the human race, a means of being fruitful and multiplying.

According to Jewish tradition, in the right context and when engaged with conscious purpose, sex is seen as a positive commandment because, in contrast to food and money, sexual pleasure is not connected with ownership. It is a pleasure derived from giving and being connected with another; it can become a most meaningful expression of love, charity and benevolence. It can become an expression of holiness.

What do you think? Weigh in in the comments below.