Abstract
Course Description:
This course will focus on the laws and values of Jewish marriage and family life. Topics include the Laws of Family Purity, Jewish perspectives on sexuality, childbirth, and parenting. We will also explore concepts of spirituality and holiness as it relates to establishing and maintaining a Jewish family. Biblical narratives, rabbinic tales, and modern texts will be studied as guides to modern relationships and marriages.
Topics:
1. The Jewish idea of family
2. Marital intimacy
a. Family Purity Laws
i. Niddah
ii. Mikvah
b. Modesty and Sexuality
c. The mitzvah of onah
3. Procreation
a. The mitzvah of peru u’revu (be fruitful and multiply)
b. Birth control
i. Variety of forms and halachic implications
4. Parenting
a. Obligation of parent to child
b. Obligation of child to parent
5. The modern family:
i. Genetic screening
ii. Infertility
iii. Adoption
iv. Surrogacy
Citation
Taubes, Racheli. (2021, Fall), Syllabus, Jewish Laws & Customs: Family Law - 15421 - JUDS 1440 - F, Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University.
*This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise.
