Peninei Halakha Simhat Ha-bayit U-virkhato: In this book, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed explains the laws of married life in Judaism, the commandments related to carnal union and procreation, explained from their spiritual foundations to their practical application, according to Sephardic and Ashkenazi customs."Simkhat Ha-bayit U-virkhato" is an essential book, in every Israelite home, that seeks to build a family life based on holiness and Halacha.
 
Simḥat Ha-bayit is devoted primarily to two mitzvot: ona, the conjugal rights andduties implied by a marital relationship; and pirya ve-rivya, procreation, the duty tohave children. The first part of the book is devoted to the commandment of ona. Fromthe outset, Rav Eliezer Melamed clarifies that this mitzva is entirely independent ofthe mitzva of procreation, that the importance of the marital relationship persistsregardless of how many children one has. He defines this mitzva as the duty to bringjoy and pleasure to one’s spouse through physical intimacy. This section goes intodetail about what sorts of activities are permitted and prohibited, and it also toucheson questions of self-gratification and same-sex attraction. The second part of the bookis devoted to the mitzva of procreation and addresses the subjects of infertility,contraception, abortion, family size, the age of marriage, and family planning.As usual, Rav Melamed does not view these questions in isolation, but as part of alarger, holistic view of halakha, one that embeds the relationship between husbandand wife within the unfolding drama of God’s relationship with the Jewish people.The result is a halakhic text whose candor and positivity is unprecedented, and whichis sure to become popular among couples young and old.

Hardcover
English

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