Intimate Judaism: A Jewish Approach to Intimacy, Sexuality, and Relationships

Do you have unanswered questions about Judaism, sexuality and intimacy?

Do you want your children to get a better sex education than you received, but lack the language or tools to provide it?

Do you want to improve and enhance intimacy in your marriage, but aren’t sure how to go about it?

Do you wonder about how Judaism views various aspects of sexuality?

Do you have questions or issues that you would like to address – either in Jewish law or regarding sexuality – but there is no one you feel comfortable asking?

Our monthly podcast, INTIMATE JUDAISM, addresses intimacy and healthy sexuality in the context of Jewish family life. We raise conflicts and challenges and offer candid solutions while remaining firmly within the bounds of Torah and Halacha.

You will:

Learn how to provide your children with healthy perspectives that acknowledge both Halacha and their natural sexual development
Discover how Judaism encourages sexual expression between you and your spouse
Find out how to create and enhance emotional and physical intimacy in your marriage
Explore how the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha – family purity – can impact intimacy and sexuality, and how to address this in your marriage
Understand how lifecycle events such as pregnancy, postpartum, menopause or chronic illness can affect marital intimacy and sex
Learn how to deal with difficult situations in marriage such as pornography and infidelity

(42) ‘The Surrendered Wife’ and Marital Intimacy: Hierarchal Power Dynamics Versus Equal and Mutual Partnership

May 17, 2022

Last month, Orthodox Jewish journalist Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt published an article in The Atlantic highlighting the popularity of Laura Doyle’s 2001 New York Times bestseller, ‘The Surrendered Wife,’ among Orthodox Jewish women. Doyle’s book provides a practical guide to marital bliss and harmony, suggesting...

(41) Mindfulness, Pleasure and Orgasm: The Jewish Pleasure Principle

Apr 6, 2022

Judaism values sexuality in the framework of marriage, both for the purposes of procreation and for relational intimacy. But does Judaism sanction the enhancement of physical pleasure, or should it be minimized? Do the Sages relate to pleasure differently in men and women, and how aware were they regarding the female...

(40) "Male and Female He Created Them": Trans, Non-Binary, and Orthodox Judaism

Mar 9, 2022

According to Jewish sources, God created humans as distinctly male or distinctly female. The roles, obligations and privileges of each gender are clearly defined in our tradition. Yet, not everyone conforms to the gender assigned to them at birth and some individuals experience their gender as distinctly opposite....

(39) Straight FOMO, Hymenal Myths, Vasectomy Envy, Fetishes, BDSM and Mad at God: Listening to our Listeners Q&A

Feb 8, 2022

In this month’s episode, we turn the mike over to you, our listeners, and answer a handful of the many questions you have sent in on email, Facebook and Instagram messenger. Listen to Talli Rosenbaum and Rabbi Scott Kahn discuss what happens to queer women who don’t want to miss out on traditional marriage and...

(38) Reproductive Health and Halacha Part 2: Birth Control Methods

Jan 11, 2022

Reproductive health ensures that couples can lead satisfying sex lives, and make informed decisions regarding family planning. Decisions related to birth control methods are generally guided by various factors, including health, convenience, cost, preference, and sexual or other side effects. For most observant...