Orthiodox Jewish Teachings on Contraception

[amigocabal]

http://finkorswim.com/wp-content/upload ... eption.pdf


Here is a link leading to an article regarding the views of various Orthodox rabbis on contraception. The article merntions significant disagreement over what forms of contraception violate the Jewish moral code. I did find two noteworthy quotes from the article.

"Contraception, at least as practiced by Onan,
resulted in the sin of wasted seed, a sin unwritten anywhere in the
Bible but traditionally known as one of the most severe
transgressions a Jewish man can commit."

"There is no explicit Biblical prohibition of contraception. "

This does seem anomalous in Jewish theology, for there to be a sin without a commandment. Anyone with a fair knowledge of Judaism knows that after Israel arrived in Sinai, HaShem gave Israel a whole lot of commandments, detailing what they can, can not, and must do, including a reiteration of the Noahide laws. There were no loopholes, no blank spaces to fill. In this context, Leviticus 18 (which severely restricts sexual experimentation by Jews) is especially relevant. And yet, even though seed-spilling forms of contraception are allegedly among the most severe transgressions a Jewish man can commit, HaShem did not include an explicit prohibition against that form, or any form, of contraception, either in Leviticus 18 or anywhere else. Elsewhere in the Torah, HaShem does not imply what He commands to persons or Israel as a whole, He says it plain and clear. (see 1 Samuel 15 for an example.)

Can any Jew on this board (especially a rabbi) explain this anomaly?

[Elheru Aran]

How about the Hebrew Bible is a hodgepodge of assorted scribblings by various Jewish religious leaders that was ultimately collated sometime in the late centuries B.C., if not later? It's not very internally consistent at several points, and this is simply one of them.

But I'll indulge. The answer is simple: Contraception didn't really exist. Infant mortality, female rhythms, and other natural causes would help keep the population within control. It's the same situation as Internet porn or drone strikes. It's more or less completely outside the paradigm of the people who wrote this stuff, so they didn't really bother covering those bases. You're overthinking it.

[General Zod]

The common alternative rationalization that I've heard is Onan's sin was disobedience for refusing to impregnate his dead brother's life like he was ordered. I couldn't say if Jews use the same rationalization.

[biostem]

The common alternative rationalization that I've heard is Onan's sin was disobedience for refusing to impregnate his dead brother's life like he was ordered. I couldn't say if Jews use the same rationalization.

The thinking was that brothers are "equal" in terms of producing a child. If one brother was married, he died before leaving an heir, then it was typical for the other brother to conceive with the wife, (but the child was considered the deceased brother's).

In the case cited, god ordered him to carry out this obligation, but he refused. There isn't anything, AFAIK, in the Torah that says having sex for non-procreative reasons is forbidden.

[amigocabal]

The common alternative rationalization that I've heard is Onan's sin was disobedience for refusing to impregnate his dead brother's life like he was ordered. I couldn't say if Jews use the same rationalization.

The thinking was that brothers are "equal" in terms of producing a child. If one brother was married, he died before leaving an heir, then it was typical for the other brother to conceive with the wife, (but the child was considered the deceased brother's).

In the case cited, god ordered him to carry out this obligation, but he refused. There isn't anything, AFAIK, in the Torah that says having sex for non-procreative reasons is forbidden.

some people have claimed that coitus interruptus (or even contraception in general) was the prohibited act in question, since the penalty for refusing yibbum was not death. The fallacy is that the prescribed penalty was to be enforced by the rulers of Israel ( similar to the penalties of Leviticus 20). HaShem of course retained His Sovereign Prerogative to punish transgressions in any manner He saw fit, meaning that executing Onan did not mean that the penalty was something other than defying yibbum.