Organization: Bar-Ilan University Computing Center, Israel
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 17:02:01 IST
From: Shaul Wallach <F66204@BARILVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Orthadox Judaism and women
 <FAIGIN.93Jan8123216@soldan.aero.org> <1993Jan8.231125.17773@netcom.com>

In article <1993Jan8.231125.17773@netcom.com>, madhaus@netcom.com (Maddi
Hausmann) objects to allegedly "sexist" aspects of Judaism:

>But sexism, defined as the assignment of roles, privileges, and
>restrictions by sex, is still sexism.  A law or tradition can be
>sexist and still be useful.  It is the rigidity of the law or
>tradition I object to.
>
>I posted a series of articles earlier explaining why I became
>disillusions with religion (I was brought up Jewish).  It was the
>sexism that started my unease and questioning.  I did some
>study.  So many of the laws and traditions seemed to apply to a
>society that no longer exists.
>
>Let us examine the Purity Laws.  They proscribe physical contact
>between husband and wife for two weeks of every four.  The no-touch
>period is Days 28 to 12 of the menstrual cycle.  The most fertile
>point is Days 14 to 16, and sperm are volatile for 48 hours.  I
>contend the purpose of this law is twofold: it does strengthen the
>marriage because the couple really *wants* each other after the
>no-touch period.  But, it also ensures the woman will become
>pregnant quickly.  Now, in ancient times, this was a good law,
>so the tribe could "be fruitful and multiply."  But I contend
>this is a bad idea today, with 5.5 billion people on the planet,
>1/4 of them starving.

     These objections should pose no difficulty. First of all,
sexual relations are forbidden in times of famine except for
couples who have no children. Thus Jews living in Somalia, for
example, would either be required to be abstinent or use
contraception.

     Secondly, the monthly separation is required only of Jews.
The 12 day separation itself is a stringent custom that Jewish
women themselves chose to observe; according to the Bible itself
7 days is sufficient. The stringent measure just happened to be
most conducive to fertility. Thus other peoples are not required
to observe measures which would enhance their fertility as much
as ours. Muslims, for example, do observe a separation, but it
is not as long.

     It is a paramount tragedy today that after centuries of
bloodletting, topped with the loss of 6 million of our people
barely a generation ago, the Jewish people all around the world
display such low fertility and high assimilation rates. Recent
demographic studies show that World Jewish population has actually
declined by some 1 million over the last 20 years. Even in Israel
the Jewish birth rate is declining sharply and is now only one
half the Muslim birth rate.

     Other peoples are aware of their population problems and assume
their own responsibility in dealing with them. Our problem, on the
other hand, is one of underpopulation, not overpopulation.

     I am encouraged by the fact that you acknowledge the wisdom
of the Jewish laws of Tahara, whose practice helps ensure not only
the physical and mental health of the couple but Jewish national
survival as well.

Shalom,

Shaul Wallach

Footnote - Women who observe the laws of Tahara are virtually immune
to uterine cancer. I remember seeing years ago a letter to a leading
medical journal (Lancet, I believe) from an Israeli doctor who noted
this and lamented the recent decline in observance of the laws in
Israel. He predicted a rise in the rate of uterine cancer among
Israeli women in the future.