INTRODUCTION
The Torah suggests two purposes for sexual activity: The first, and most obvious, is procreation. Sex is part of God’s plan for populating the world. It fulfills God’s will for both animals and humans (the Torah’s first Mizvha is Proo Urvu–to “be fruitful and multiply.”) The second purpose of sexual relations is companionship. In Jewish tradition, the belief that, “it is not good for man to be alone,” is as important as the command to be fruitful. The Torah uses the term Yada, “to know” or to talk about sexual relationship. Sex is thus considered more than a mere biological act. It involves intimate knowledge shared by two.
According to Jewish tradition, the sin of Adam and Eve was not sex. It was disobedience of God’s word. “Once they gained knowledge, Adam and Eve lost their innocence. Yet, they gained something else: the ability to achieve holiness.”
