In a sort of real and unconditional opposition to Christianity (I would not deal with Islam which seemingly can be much closer to Judaism), Judaism has a natural, evident link, connectedness and concern with "carnal" matters. Flesh is definitely obvious, sine qua non; flesh exists for good and bad, but it is positive. A young theologian who recently intervened in a national Great Lent Conference in Europe had to quote that Fr. Georgyi Florovsky - as the Church Fathers - had stated in the 20th century that "a soul has be be "lodged, sheltered" in a body. Otherwise it would only be kind of a "ghost". This is a simple statement for any Jew since the first beginnings of the Written and Oral Laws. It directly defies the Western Christian faithful as recently shown Fr. Job (Getcha), former dean of the St. Sergius Theological Institute, during the Great Lent Conference in Paris.
We must be careful and avoid making spontaneous confusion between "flesh" and "spirit". This separation is a breach, a split that does show up from time to time in Jewish prudery and perversion. It is strangely intermingling in healthy interpretations, though the Talmud can be very prudish, terribly restricting in terms of physical morals and ethics. But Jews would never drift away to think they are ghosts, vampires, gods and goddesses, angels or spiritual creatures.
On the other hand, Jews may often consider bodies, limbs, carnality, limbs and members as submitted to bizarre tests of human capacities. It is so frequent for rabbis, politicians, public personalities to be accused of "normal physical excess" or, on the contrary to be totally depraved. This basic instinct is rooted in a strong spiritual search and a real in-depth interrogation about life true goals and challenges.
Still, Judaism maybe fascinated by some sort of "koyshkayt\קוישקייט" (Yiddish cf. Germ. "Keuschheit"), full "taharah/t'hure-s\טהרה.ת".
I met a famous rabbi who had been invited to explain to Catholic monks the meaning of Eucharist (!) and Easter in connection with the Order of Pesach/Passover. He was terribly surprised and did not know what to say. He had to speak in a "foreign" cultural world. He simply started to say that the Jews would take a lamb, cut the lamb that has been roasted and they all shared the pieces! The monks were in shock because they only could basically relate to Eucharist as sharing "consecrated bread and wine". We have the same with the "sherayim" distributed by the tzadik at a farbrengen (meeting and sharing the third Shabbat meal".
Finally, there is also more. As I mentioned in many notes, adultery is the typical example for "idolatry". This runs throughout the Scriptures. "Lo tin'af\לא תנאף = do not commit any adultery" sounds curious in Hebrew. It has been pointed out that it can be understood as "do not give way to your nose = anger". God is supposed to sneeze or even to cry on His heavenly altar (Gittin 110a) when married men and women divorced or deceive each other by committing adultery. It is so banal at the present, that any reason seems to be "normative and a standardized law" to break the nuptial bonds. This is a terrible spiritual disease and discomfort or source of misleading tests that hang on the internet and all networks. It is more cruel than in the pre-monotheist period. There is no way to make "everything possible" just for the sake of life-long sufferings or hedonistic societal attitudes. Loving-kindness and pardon do not aim to admit but to explain the realm of the Mitzvot, provided that e.g. Canon Law considers that sins do not exist so far the concerned people get not aware of the related problem. This is a major point at the moment.
The web also proposes open gates to all sorts of "groups, individuals" that advertise all kinds of methods to approach "flesh and soul" in and via physical intercourse. This is also very trendy in many Kabbalistic groups; Rav Shmuley Boteach is also "en vogue" for his recent book "Kasher Sutra". At least, he tries to explain with humor and a lot of spirit what marital and physical relationships mean and plan to cure, care and heal in human existence. With regard to Judaism, "flesh" cannot be denied or rejected for the interpretation of the Tradition and the texts. This also concerns Christianity.
Nonetheless, there is a profound misunderstand of what "soul and flesh, identity and origin" means in the Semitic and rabbinical traditions. This is why the following article is proposed as a reflection en route to Pesach and Easter.
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Times of war have always terribly matched with sex and carnal basic appetites. Sex is THE overall matter, the best mirroring concern, interest of the past 100 years, imaging more mechanics and mental, virtual skills or activities than showing profound loving-kindness.
This is not true: sex has driven our ancestors, here, from Mamre's Oaks but earlier everywhere since the creation of human beings. Not only humans but the entire creation - whether animals or vegetation - are involved in some central activity : copulation. And what do you think? It even concerns, burgeons in Eretz Israel, the Holy Land and - though there is no reason to walk on eggshells about that - it keeps the State and the major State bodies very busy. To begin with it sounds unbelievable: top political, Army leaders and executives, Rabbis and Church people - all over the map - are meshed in weird, sharp, rowdy and easy-going sexual intercourse. And not the kosher sort of normal relationships, but a kind of news-reporting vicious pervert debauchery? Wow!!!
Now, how can a theologian examining Israeli society depict the situation in other words? Does theology cope with "all-over-the-map" sex affairs? Definitely yes! Rabbi Yossi responded to a wealthy and decisive woman landowner, who thought she was able to marry her servants, that only God can do it it. Matching is supposed to be God's main activity. And it is a very good and sound activity: "male and female are called to be one body and soul", says Talmud Menachot 93a.
Thus, "copulation" is a major positive activity, in particular for people with brains. They are supposedly responsible for their acts and feelings. We have had, within the framework of the general development of the State of Israel a certain total of individuals trapped or intercepted as they were chasing, overtaking, retaining partners, mainly women but not exclusively as shows at the present, whom they would have abused sexually, i.e. without their consent. This affected high-ranking politicians, governmental, military and ordinary people. Again, rabbis and all levels of all sorts of Church actors are posted as carnal breaking news-reels on a regular basis. This raises legal, ethical and moral-spiritual issues. Just track back the biographies, it looks like we are in some Noah's Ark after-flood horny zoo.
Landing or what? Thus, there is nothing new in terms of perversion. No need to accuse or judge anybody. It does not help and it is dull if not ignoble. How can we repair, make a tiqun? Can we really correct a situation and turn back to the good taste and respect of intimacy?
The linguists presuppose that "sex" comes from Latin "secare": to cut, separate" - "to belong to a gender, either male or female" and that "sexuality" allows to "match" males and females. "Sexus" appears lately in the West, in the 11th century, i.e. curiously the separation of the Western Latin and the Eastern Churches (The Great Schism in 1054 A.D.), as the rabbis had completed the Talmud tractates in their actual standards. In Greek "hexis" corresponds to some "lifestyle". The word extended in all European culture during the 20th century and was used to describe the various ways to be satisfied carnally, mentally, psychologically. Firstly connected with intercourse in 1929 ( D.H. Lawrence(!) and appeared only recently, just as "genitals" in 1929 - "sex appeal, to sex up" (1942) . Sigmund Freud and the psychanalytic movements allowed to get into the realm of what has always been existing though with much ignorance or unawareness of the significance of the fleshy relationships.
There is a problem: "sex" does not exist in Hebrew! In Modern Hebrew, there is "MiN\מין" and we all think it is "sex". No! Well, it is up-to-date. But we know that "min" means "species" and "love making" is not only "species making"? Then, "min" is a very interesting root: "MiN\מין" = "out of" but the question far more fascinating. In Aramaic and the Old Semitic tongues "MiN" = "who" is to be compared with "MaN\מן" = what". One vowel difference: our existence is defined as a whole and a permanent question about origins/ identity and substance/materiality. "MaN hu?\מן הוא" = "what's that?" is the name of the "manna" in the wilderness. It makes sense to refer to the seder of Pessah: "Ha lachma de'anya\הא לחמא דעניא" = this is the bread of poverty (the matzah) that was in fact some kind of tamarisk tree substance (Exodus/Shmot 16:15). But the people had never experience such a food and they questioned "what is that?" that turned to "manna" in Aramaic and Greek. At the present, in American slang "whatchamacallit" basically corresponds to the same questioning about things or sex desires.
Now, "MiN\מין" is linked to the same root but does not depict a "thing, object". It defines "persons, identity, individuals" and simultaneously inquires their "outfit, origin". In Hebrew "min\מין" (out of) dropped, at times, the final "N", and "mi/mah - מי\מה" replaced "min/man - מן\מן". And this double questioning is often neutralized in our speech: "mah hu/hi?\מה הואהיא" = who is he/she?" (as in Talmud Avodah Zarah 18a and Targum Bereshit 24:23) but men and women; living beings cannot be treated as objects! The same neutralization occurs in daily speech in English ("that" instead of "who"), in Yiddish "vus\וואס" (pronoun) and Afrikaans "wat". Hebrew is not frankly unisex.
In the course of a discussion about words and spirituality, a young Russian newcomer's wife laughed when I said that "basar\בשר" = "good news (as in the blessing after meals, Birkat HaMazon\ברכת המזון); "full joy" and not some carnal flesh or a piece a meat sold at the butcher's. She was right: "basar\בשר" means "meat" in Modern Hebrew, but because flesh and carnality bring joys and pleasure of intimate relationships.
We still have another problem: marriage is essentially "qiddushin\קידושין = acts of holiness, sacredness", moderate, arousing and satisfying, reviving bones and flesh ("basar vedam\בשר ודם = human being"), showing what real real love means in the Jewish tradition. In Hebrew, carnal intercourse cannot be compared with mechanical techniques or systematic loss of control of thirsty quenchless bodies. There is a spiritual link between our desire to enjoy sexual pleasures and our quest about who we are. Then, how come that we are alive and can also birth (or not). Intimacy is a positive commandment that substantiates the "oneg shabbat\עונג שבת - honey of the Shabbat".
We have the parental task to explain how genitalia or emotional intimacy are growing throughout a life-long educational experience. It seems that numerous people are indeed irresistibly spell-bound by intimacy turned into a series of sophisticated perversions; as if the humans feel compelled to shift from love and freedom of pleasures to slavery and whip up the nicest life realities whipped with cruelty and slander, pains and tortures. Right, we socialize in crude movie and soap series speech. We may be drifted by virtual connections, blunt and harsh slang and sexual crimes. Indeed, we have more and more incestuous, masochistic crimes.
"Maqom\מקום" means "place" but and "Holy of Holies". It is one of God's Names (El Maqom\אל מקום); it also relates to the female genitals as to the passing over from dependence to freedom.
Slang has always been colored with all the chromatic flavor of sexual terms. Now, there is a slight final problem: there are no real sexual slang words in traditional Hebrew! Along the years, the youths create expressions. But sexual slang words only come from Aramaic ("nafka\נפקא =prostitute), Yiddish ("shmuk\שמוק", today in Russian/Ukrainian "shmok/смок" to be compared with "chmok/чмок = kiss) and any other tongue, as if we would prevent from some Evil Eye in these affairs. But we can feel the strong influence of the numerous underworld tribes, the misfits that need raw speech and eccentric manners.
Christianity is seemingly not at ease with sexual intercourse. It depends of times and cultures. In the Vatican and Rome, Le Caravage's paintings are extremely fleshy. The Christians confess the "incarnation" of Jesus in the womb (Maqom - beten/מקום - בטן) of a virgin young woman, Mary. Say: she bore Jesus without having intimacy with Joseph. It is a problem of faith whether to believe or not in these creed and there is no Christian consent, though the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholics do acknowledge these miracles. Then, Jesus, during the celebration of the Last Supper which apparently was a Passover seder, took the bread and the cup of wine and said ot his disciples "to take and eat; take and drink saying: "this is my body - this is my blood", i.e. a reference to "basar/בשר" (flesh, body) "vadam" and blood/ודם" = a mortal human being, in order to gather into the "Body = guf/\גוף which is accomplished in the image of the "gafen [vineyard]\גפן ".
In these very few examples - shortly presented - incarnation and birth, death and Eucharist (Sacrament) are related to this "Min-Man" questioning and are definitely linked to human gender and sex.
Akavya ben Mahalel said: "Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where (me'ayin) you came, and to where (u-le'an/ולאן) you are going, and before whom (lifnei mi\לפני מי) you are destined to give account to be judged? The answer moves from "tipa srukhah\טיפה סרוחה" (decayed drop of semen) to enter life and grow to meet the King of kings, the Holy One Blessed be He" (Saying of the Fathers 3:1). It means that "decayed"-considered sources of life do "come up" till God. The kind of repair that makes the Jewish traditions positively sensual. And intimacy is good.
I would hope we will be able as a youth-minded, modern society to correct or repair our sex appeals and appease our helluva wild and off-the-wall picnics.
"MiN/MaN - מין\מן" may allow another deep root: "le'He'min\להמין" = to believe", thus trust in God. This also deals with sex. Faith is linked to faithfulness. Rav Israel Meir Lau said that we should ask ourselves "le'an?\לאן" - where we are going to?". It seems that this includes to know who, what and from where we are on the move.
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