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Rohrlich/Zias celibacy
Denise Obrien (D-OBRIEN@VM.TEMPLE.EDU)
Sun, 7 Jan 1996 11:04:08 EST
let pass without comment Joe Zias' and Anthony Dauer's responses to
Ruby Rohrlich's comment re who gets credit for the "mitzva".
As I read it, Zias initially said "it's a mitzva [for the husband]
to have sexual relations with the wife on Friday night..." Phrase in
[ ] implied in original. And Rohrlich replied: "Is it a mitzva [for
the wife] to have sexual relations with the husband on Friday night?"
Again, phrase in [ ] implied in original. Ruby's reply seems to me
to be none of the following: a "radical feminist reply" (feminist maybe,
but nowhere near the tenor of really radical stuff); "snide" or "non-
constructive". I interpret her question to be: is the credit for the
good deed shared or reciprocal or allocated to only one spouse?
Assuming that only the husband could get a mitzva for having sex
with his wife does reflect a rather patriarchal attitude toward
sexuality which would not be surprising given traditional Judeo and
Judeo-Christian attitudes toward gender.....but, of course, that may
not be the implication of the original statement.
So, I have to ask Ruby's question again: can a wife get a mitzva for
having sex with her husband on Friday night?
And, if you can't frame an answer without flaming me, don't bother
to reply. Cheers....Denise O'Brien
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| DENISE O'BRIEN D-OBRIEN@TEMPLEVM |
| DEPT. OF ANTHROPOLOGY D-OBRIEN@VM.TEMPLE.EDU
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19122 U.S.A. Tel. (office)215-204-1204 |
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