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Showing posts from December, 2023

What are Marriage (or, Marital) Rights?

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 In a few verses in Exodus, Moses tells us what the husband's requirements & obligations are, when taking a second wife. Of  course, this is bigamy, and, therefore, forbidden by civil and Jewish Law; however, the Talmud takes these instructions very seriously - as it teaches us what the woman's rights are! The Scripture (Exodus 21:10) reads as follows: "if he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights". The Oral Law adds the following detailed list, based on the husband's occupation: "Men of leisure, who do not work, (or have an easy 9-5 office job), must engage in marital relations every day; labourers must do so twice a week; donkey drivers - once a week; camel drivers - once every thirty days; and sailors once every six months" (Babylonian Talmud Tractate Ketuboth 61b). My conclusion, and you should really advise with your local Rabbi, since this was written nearly 1,800 years ago, is that the wife h...

Hunting Goats, or finding them in the family pen?!

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 In Genesis (27:1-4), Isaac asks his son to go out to the field and hunt "game" and bring to him so he may bless him, before he dies. We do not know if Isaac intended to give Esau the "Abrahamic blessing", basically he appreciated his son's qualities as a hunter, and asked him to prepare a delicious meal "as he likes it". In this Souvenir Sheet from Tajikistan, we see a hunter pursuing Two Goats, which is very unlikely, as goats are domesticated animals! In fact, this is what Rebekah prepares for her beloved husband, sending the younger son, Jacob, with the delicacies she made from goats to serve him, and receive the blessings, instead of Esau, her older son!