Jewish Beliefs about Life and Death » Childlessness, Contraception and Celibacy in Judaism

Be fruitful and multiply

In Childlessness, Fertility Treatment and Genetic Engineering and Contraception, Celibacy, Adoption and Fostering you looked at these issues in general. This lesson asks what Judaism teaches about them. In Marriage in Judaism: A Mitzvah and a Covenant you saw that Jews value marriage and family. Having children is part of that.

The first command to humans in the Torah is in Genesis 1:28: 'Be fruitful and multiply'. Jewish tradition counts this as the first mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah. Traditional teaching, based on the Talmud, says that a person fulfils it by having a son and a daughter. Jews believe children are a blessing from the Almighty and carry the covenant and the Torah to the next generation.

Key terms:

• Peru urevu: the Hebrew for 'be fruitful and multiply', the mitzvah to have children.
• Genetic screening: testing people or embryos to find out whether they carry a gene that could cause a serious inherited disease.

Childlessness

Because children matter so much, childlessness can cause great pain. The Torah shows this in the stories of two women.

Today most Jewish teachers say a childless couple should be treated with compassion and never blamed. Many Jews believe that couples who cannot have children still live a full Jewish life, and that they can help children in other ways, for example through adoption, teaching or community work.

Fertility treatment and genetic engineering

As you saw in Childlessness, Fertility Treatment and Genetic Engineering, IVF is a treatment in which an egg is joined with sperm outside the body. Most Jewish leaders, Orthodox and Progressive, welcome it. They see it as a way of carrying out the mitzvah of peru urevu, and many see healing as a mitzvah too. Reasons given include:

• the aim is to create life, which is a good thing
• the doctor is helping the Almighty's creation, not replacing it

The debate is mainly about donors. Some Orthodox rabbis prefer a couple to use the husband's own sperm and the wife's own egg, because they want to be sure who the child's parents are. Others accept donors in some cases. Progressive Jews are generally more open to donors, if everyone involved is treated fairly and the child's welfare comes first. Many rabbis ask couples to talk to them before they start.

Genetic screening is widely accepted when it is used to prevent serious inherited disease. Some Jewish communities, for example, offer confidential testing to young adults before marriage, so that couples can avoid passing on certain serious inherited illnesses. Jews who accept this believe that preventing suffering is a duty. They are more worried by 'designer' changes. Choosing a child's looks, intelligence or sex seems to them to be going beyond healing. This also touches the idea, from Creation, Humanity and Tikkun Olam, that humans are partners with the Almighty in looking after creation, not owners who can remake people as they like.

Contraception

Because peru urevu is a mitzvah, Orthodox Jews do not see having children as optional for married couples. At the same time Judaism puts great weight on life and health (see Sanctity of Life, Pikuach Nefesh and Abortion in Judaism). Orthodox rabbis therefore permit certain methods of contraception for good reasons, such as:

• the mother's health, including her mental health
• the family's ability to cope, for example with a very young baby
• spacing out children

Most Orthodox authorities expect a couple to have children first, and many prefer some methods, such as the pill, to others. Each couple is usually told to ask their rabbi for advice about their own situation. Some stricter Orthodox rabbis are more cautious than others.

Progressive Jews (Reform and Liberal) leave the decision to the couple. They still value children but say that couples should plan families responsibly, using their own conscience.

Celibacy

Celibacy means choosing not to have sexual relationships, often for religious reasons. Judaism rejects it as the ideal way to live. There are no Jewish monks or nuns, and rabbis normally marry. The reasons are:

• as you saw in Love, Sex and Relationships in Judaism, people are seen as made for company and relationships, not for living alone
• marriage and family are the ideal, and the mitzvah of peru urevu cannot be kept without them
• sexual love in marriage is seen as a gift from the Almighty and not as something shameful
• Jews are expected to serve the Almighty through everyday life in the community, not by leaving it

Some Jews are unmarried because they have not met a partner or because of their circumstances. They are still full members of the community, but Judaism does not teach that being unmarried is more holy. A non-religious person might say that celibacy is a free personal choice with no religious value. Many Jews would reply that it is not forbidden but is not the best way to live.

Adoption and fostering

Jews see adoption and fostering as great kindnesses. The Torah says again and again that people must protect orphans, for example in Exodus 22. In the Torah, Moses was brought up by Pharaoh's daughter, and in the Book of Esther, Mordecai brought up his cousin Esther. The Talmud teaches that anyone who brings up a child is treated as though they were the child's parent. For childless couples, adoption is another way to bring up a Jewish family.

Exam-style question

(Paper 1, AO1) (a) Identify three ways a couple who cannot conceive might be helped to have a child. [3 marks]

(b) Choose one religion. Outline two Jewish teachings about celibacy. [4 marks]

(Paper 1, AO1 and AO2) (c) Choose one religion. Explain why there are different attitudes to contraception in this religion. [6 marks]

(Paper 1, AO1 and AO2) (d) 'Couples without children should use every kind of fertility treatment.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]