[Note I was able to recover some posts, so I will repost from what I can and consider worthwhile] Oh, I’m not offering any here.� I am merely observing the very popular use of such titles, and of late in talks like a lecture in Queens this Sunday called “The Mystery of Marriage
?” and of course, there is the popular “Dating Secrets” book, now more frumly entitle,d Shidduch Secrets.� But this is not an altogether new phenomenon.� Tehilla Abramov’s book on the topic of taharas hamishpacha, The Secret of Jewish Femininity was published back in 1988.� Interesting that the one review that shows up here: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Jewish-Femininity-Tehilla-Abramov/dp/0944070043
[In truth, I do not think that taharas hamispacha is the essence of femininity, but I suppose that Laws of Niddah, as Rabbi Eider’s sefer is entitled (also published 1988 BTW), would not be considered particularly appealing to a female market, and it has none of the fluff stuff meant to make the laws more palatable.� Yet it is much more detailed.� If you have� a question on harchakos, this is a good place to look it up—no secrets here, though.]
has reservations about the book being locked into an Orthodox practice.� I don’t know if� a comprehensive guide to taharas hamishpacha that would not be bound by halachic determination is conceivable.� But the reviewer does try to be fair and makes some other valid observations like her last two points:
2. Following these laws provides a strong foundation for a marriage. This argument is more shaky, considering the large number of happy marriages all over the world that thrive without the spouces [sic] ever having heard about Taharat haMishpacha. However, this too is an argument that can be couched in logical terms. . . .
3. Keeping these laws is good for a women’s health, creates fertility and stops disease (specifically cervical cancer). Abramov also hints that healthier children are born to women who keep these laws. This argument, which Abramov is by no means the first to offer, has long annoyed me. Billions of women all over the world reach a ripe old health in perfect health despite not keeping these laws. While it is true that Orthodox women have a lower incidence of cervical cancer, this is most probably related to a lower number of sexual partners and has nothing to do with immersing in the mikveh. I find it pitiful that in our day and age, Orthodoxy seems to need to frighten women into keeping Taharat haMishpacha laws.
[In truth, I do not think that taharas hamispacha is the essence of femininity, but I suppose that Laws of Niddah, as Rabbi Eider’s sefer is entitled (also published 1988 BTW), would not be considered particularly appealing to a female market, and it has none of the fluff stuff meant to make the laws more palatable.� Yet it is much more detailed.� If you have� a question on harchakos, this is a good place to look it up—no secrets here, though.]
Comments