Respect Family
Keep intimacy within its boundaries
Law 5 of 7
This law sets clear boundaries for personal relationships, based on the Torah’s definition of what is permitted. It prohibits unions such as those between close relatives or between those who are already married. By following these guidelines, we help protect the dignity of family life and promote a morally healthy society.
G-d created firstly the man and the woman as one unit, and then divided them to two separate entities, which are in need of each other in order to reach completeness. Married life and its laws are, therefore, the basis for the existence of mankind and the completeness of the family and community. This comes into expression also in keeping values of modesty and discreetness in matters of marital relationship.
In practice
Intimacy is kept within marriage between a man and a woman. The law rules out adultery, relations between close relatives, relations between two men, and relations with animals.
A deeper look
The Bible states “It is not good for man to be alone,” so G-d made a helpmate for Adam, and in marriage “He blessed them.”
In a wholesome family, man’s creativity finds meaningful expression. Wholesome families are the cornerstone of healthy communities, nations, and societies. When a society lets these boundaries go, family life weakens, and the whole society feels it.
