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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

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 that women  stop being critical and demanding of their husbands, respect and trust them, and regularly engage in self-care and “be vulnerable.”   

Many would consider this to be sound advice, and Doyle’s devotees on social media have reported that their marriages underwent a complete transformation after reading the book and applying its principles. In some Orthodox circles, the book’s principles are considered to be in line with Jewish values. Yet, the book, which advises women to relinquish control of all finances to their husbands, refrain from negative comments,  and “pretend to believe in him even when you don’t” has triggered very negative reactions, and concern that these potentially disempowering  messages can leave women vulnerable to abuse. Join Rabbi Scott Kahn and Talli Rosenbaum in a discussion of this book in the context of healthy marital dynamics.

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