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.

Celebrated sex expert and bestselling author Dr. Ruth Westheimer bridges the gap between sex and religion in this provocative exploration of intimacy in the Jewish faith. In this light-hearted, lively tour of Jewish sexuality, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Jonathan Mark team up to reveal how the Jewish tradition is much more progressive than popular wisdom might lead one to believe. Applying Dr. Ruth's acclaimed brand of couples therapy to such Biblical relationships as Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and Potiphar's wife, the authors enlist Biblical lore to explore such topics as surrogacy, incest, and arranged marriages. They offer a clearer understanding of the intertwining relationships between sexuality and spirituality through incisive investigations of the Song of Songs, Ruth, Proverbs, Psalms, and some of the bawdier tales of the Prophets. One chapter provides a provocative new perspective on the Sabbath as a weekly revival, highlighting not only its spiritual nature, but also its marital and sexual aspects. Focusing specifically on Orthodox forms of Judaism and offering Dr. Ruth's singular interpretations, the book answers such questions as: What night of the week is best for making love? How often should couples have sex? Can traditional Jewish notions of sex and sexuality be reconciled with contemporary beliefs? What roles can and do dreams and fantasy play? In Heavenly Sex, America's favorite sex therapist takes readers on a frank and fascinating journey to the heart of Jewish sexuality as she fits twenty-first century sexual mores into an ancient--and lusty--spiritual tradition

A new, colorful, and fascinating drama has emerged on the American scene. The action involves love, spiritually free sex, dope as a religious sacrament, and a new work ethic. And so sociologist Yablonsky begins his novel, giving the reader an opportunity to join him on his hippie trip. Yablonsky delves into the hippie movement as a sociologist, a hip interviewer/reporter, and as an involved person. This book includes experiences and perceptions from all three of these integral facets of Yablonskys personality. Yablonsky combines an extensive, coherent report on hippie life with a thorough look at the movement in relation to the wider societal issues of the time. The book begins with a Preview, an introduction into the scene, and then moves onto The Trip, Yablonskys actual journey. Part III, Analysis, examines the hippie movement in its own right and within the framework of American society. Part IV, The Appendix, is a presentation of data from questionnaires filled out by over seven hundred hippies. And there is, of course, a Glossary for all of you readers who may not be familiar with the terminology of the psychedelic movement.

In the first edition of Sex: A Philosophical Primer , Singer offered a new conception of sex, locating it within a spectrum that also includes love and compassion. He suggested that this conception improves upon the work of theorists who tend to relegate sex, love, and compassion to separate and distinct compartments. Singer further argues that sex in human beings is normally-perhaps always in some degree-a composite of the appetitive and the interpersonal, a view that becomes the basis for his later remarks about the relative value of individual sex acts, as well as their place within the aesthetic and moral dimensions of human nature. In the present, expanded edition, Singer supplements the 2001 chapters with a timely and stimulating essay that focuses upon marriage, particularly same-sex marriage. Singer maintains that questions about sex are fundamental in all thinking about the marital condition, and addresses the problem of same-sex legitimization and rights to material benefits by analyzing the nature of marriage, union, and family in their relation to sexuality and love. For first-time and seasoned readers alike, Singer's lucid new reflections will clarify current and emerging issues in the philosophy of sex. Irving Singer is professor of philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of many books, among them Explorations in Love and Sex , Feeling and Imagination , and his trilogies Meaning in Life and The Nature of Love .