GEN454 Know that the sexual intercourse of man with his wife is holy and pure when done properly, in the proper time and with the proper intention.  No one should think that sexual intercourse is ugly and loathsome, God forbid! Proper sexual intercourse is called “knowing” [this verse] for good reason.  As it is said, “And Elkanah knew his wife Hannah” Samuel 1 1:19. The secret reason for this is that when the drop of semen is drawn in holiness and purity, it comes from the source of wisdom and understanding, which is the brain.  Understand, therefore, that unless it involved matters of great holiness, sexual union would not be called “knowing.” HTBAJ 158

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GEN455 Sexuality represents a stance of pro-creation and of re-creation that aligns the individual with the rest of humanity as well as with the divine image implanted within each human person.  Already in Scripture, sexual experience is described as “knowing.” Sexual experience, coupled with love, desire, and will, can penetrate not only the mystery of sexuality, but the mysteries of knowledge of the world, of the divine, and of the self.  Sexual experience can be a vehicle to self-knowledge, to self-transformation, and to the creation of life as a work of art.  In the act of love, a new union is created.  The two individuals who forge this union can each become irrevocably transformed thereby. Each may be re-created through the procreative act.  Through sexual and erotic union, one may become God’s partner in the work of creation.  HTBAJ 154

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GEN478 Repentance becomes necessary when sin becomes possible.  Sin is a misuse of the gift of free will.  But, free will is like a precious double-edged sword. With moral freedom, sin becomes likely, but without freedom, moral development is impossible.  The ability to choose is meaningless unless it includes the possibility of choosing incorrectly.  With choice comes error.  When Alexander Pope wrote that “to err is human,” he echoed a sentiment of biblical origin: “There is no person who does not sin” (Kings 1 8:46; Chronicles 2 6:36.  This observation is both realistic and optimistic.  Because human beings are imperfect by nature, they err.  Nonetheless, human error can be surmounted and overcome.  As the Bible has God say to Cain, [this verse].  HTBAJ 60

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GEN987 We have never seen nor heard of an Israelite community that does not have an alms fund … It is our duty to be more careful in the performance of the commandment of almsgiving than in that of any other positive commandment, for almsgiving is the mark of the righteous man who is of the seed of our father Abraham, as it is said, “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children,” etc. “to do righteousness” [this verse]. The throne of Israel cannot be established, nor true faith made to stand up, except through charity, as it is said, “In righteousness shall you be established” Isaiah 54:14; nor will Israel be redeemed, except through the practice of charity, as it is said “Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return of her with righteousness” Isaiah 1:27. HTBAJ 233

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GEN1045 … one should be aware of one’s own insignificance when set against the panorama of the cosmos, when compared to the infinity of God…. . But, in the Jewish view, awareness of the insignificance of the individual when set against the cosmos should engender neither nihilism nor despair, but humility.   It should stimulate one to create an artful existence, a life characterized by purpose, meaning, and service to others.   Jewish thought encourages balance between pride and self-depreciation.  The mean between arrogance and self-abasement is humility.   Maimonides, Eight Chapters, Gorfinkle, ch. 4, p. 55; but compare, Maimonides, Mishneh Torah-Sefer ha-Mada, Laws of Personal Development 2:3.  Discussing the biblical citation “I am dust and ashes” [this verse] and the Talmudic statement, “Every person should consider himself or herself as if the world had been created for his or her own sake,” Sanhedrin 37a the hasidic mater, Bunam of Przysucha, taught: “Each person should have two pockets.   In each pocket he or she should carry a slip of paper on which is written one of these two citations.   As the occasion arises, one should extract and read the slip appropriate to the specific situation.   If one becomes too haughty and proud, one should be aware that “I am dust and ashes,” and if one becomes too self-abusing and depressed, then one should extract the slip that reads, “For my sake the world was created.” Buber, Tales of the Hasidim: Later Masters, pp. 249-250.   HTBAJ 88

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GEN1121 A great quality is the quality of wealth. For when a person has wealth and does good deeds, he merits the Wrorld to Come, as it is said, “Wealth and riches are in his house; and his merit endureth forever” Psalms 112:3.   Not only that, but he is shielded in this world from harm and evil occurrences like a person who is in a fortified city.  As it is said, “”The rich man’s wealth is his strong city and a high wall to his own conceit” Proverbs 18:11.  …Great is the quality of wealth.  Wealth comes to a person from God, as it is said, “Both riches and honor come of You” Chronicles 1 29:12. And it is said, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold, says the Lord of Hosts” Haggai 2:8. And thus he says, “For all things come of You. Of Your own have we given You” Chronicles 1 29:14.   HTBAJ 130-1

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GEN1463 One’s family is called “near of his flesh.” Leviticus 18:6.   Here [we see that] a man leaves the “nearness” of his parents and his relatives, and sees that his wife is closer to him than are they.   HTBAJ 173

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GEN1570 [Why not of his grandfather, Abraham?]   Regarding the question of who is covered by the commandment to honor parents, there may be some surprises.   In-laws are covered … Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, “Yitro”, ch. 1, p. 190; Yalkut Shimoni, “1 Samuel,” no. 133; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, 240:24.   In the case of a divorce, a step-parent is covered, as long as honoring the step-parent does not detract from honoring the natural parent. Because the main activity of Jewish parenting is pedagogic, the obligation to honor parents is extended to teachers.   According to the Talmud Ketubot 103a, older siblings are covered as well. Surprisingly, on the question of whether grandparents are covered, there is a difference of opinion.   Despite the Talmudic saying that “one’s grandchildren are like one’s children,” Yevamot 62b; Kiddushin 4a, this view was not universally held. E.g., Sotah 49a  The reason is psychologically interesting. The major work of the Jewish mystics, the Zohar 2:233a , states, “a man loves his grandchildren more than his children.” In other words, because grandparents tend to dote on their grandchildren more than on their own children, there was an apprehension that the bond between grandparents and grandchildren might threaten the relationship between children and their parents Genesis Rabbah 94:5; Rashi and Nachmanides’ commentaries this verse. Hence, the grandparent-grandchild relationship was deflated by some of the sources in order to try to defuse this possibility.  HTBAJ 166

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EXOD181 The passages in Deuteronomy (6:4-9, 11:13-21) that entered the Jewish liturgy as part of the Shema enjoined parents to teach the words of the Torah diligently and constantly to their children. (Kiddushin 29a). The Passover Seder focuses more on pedagogy then on ritual. It is an opportunity "to tell your child" (this verse) the story of the Exodus, i.e.., To convey to the child a sense of who he or she is, where he or she comes from, what is her or her spiritual heritage. What is at stake in the parent's teaching the child the constituent of moral teachings of tradition is the future of moral disposition of the child. The quality of one's "parenting" becomes manifested through the activities of one's child… More is at stake in parental pedagogy than the moral disposition of the child. The very existence and continuity of Jewish tradition, and the stability of society at large, are also at risk. For example, the thirteenth-century Jewish philosopher, Gersonides, considered the family to be the most fundamental political unit of society, upon which larger political units, such as cities and nations, are based. When the family functions as a conduit of moral values, the larger society gains stability. When it does not, the larger society becomes morally imperiled. Levi Ben Gerson Commentary on the Torah, 2 vols, (Venice, 1547) [Hebrew], on Exodus 20:12. 5 According to Joseph Albo, because the family serves as the essential vehicle through which tradition is perpetuated, the very existence of Judaism is vested in the pedagogic abilities of each parent to transmit moral and religious teachings to the child. Sefer ha-Ikkarim-The Book of Principles, 6 vols., Isaac Husik, trans. (Philadelphia: PS, 1946), vol. 3, chap. 26, pp 251-252). In this view, what is at stake in parental pedagogy is the future of moral disposition of the child, the perpetuation of something of the parents in the future behavior of the child, Shabbat 127a (bottom); Pesahim 1113a (bottom), the moral and sociopolitical stability of society at large, and the continuity and perpetuation of the tradition that offers meaning and moral coherence to the lives of both the parent and the child.

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EXOD408 The most difficult of all the commandments of the Torah to fulfill completely, according to the second-century sage Simeon bar Yohai, is the obligation of a child to honor and to revere his or her mother and father. Midrash Tanhuma, Solomon Buber, ed. (Vilna, 1885), "Ekev," no. 3.p. 9a. In this regard, the following story is told of Rabbi Tarfon: "Rabbi Tarfon had a mother. When she wished to mount into bed, he would bend down to let her ascend [by stepping on him, and when she wished to descend, she would do so by stepping on him]. He went to the Academy and boasted of his observance of filial piety. [Whereupon] his colleague said to him: You have not even reached half the honor [due her]. Kiddushin 31b. See also P. Peah 1:1. As it is stated in the Ten Commandments, the obligation of a child toward his or her parents seems clear enough [this verse, Deuteronomy 5:16]. This commandment differs from the other nine, because only in the case of this commandment is a reason given, i.e., "That you may long endure...." In other words, the reason for observance is the promise of longevity and the threat of a curtailed life for nonobservance.

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