Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy - Hardcover

Boteach, Shmuley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385494653 ISBN 13: 9780385494656

Publisher: Doubleday Religion, 1999

Synopsis

The focus of this book is sex and the central position it occupies within marriage and relationships. Sex for pleasure is an end in itself. But Kosher Sex is the fire of sexual attraction that creates union in the bedroom and closeness and intimacy     in life.

Kosher Sex will change how you view, discuss, and approach sex. With humor, sensitivity, respect, and honesty, Rabbi Boteach touches on all the modern questions concerning this eternally interesting topic.

Kosher Sex pioneers a new approach to sex, marriage, and personal relationships that draws on traditional Jewish wisdom. Rabbi Boteach uses his experience counseling individuals and couples to break down sexual taboos and openly discuss the meanings, emotions, and the hidden power of sex.

In an unique anecdotal style, Rabbi Boteach illustrates each and every point, using real couples who have discovered the joys of "kosher sex"--sex based on love, trust, and real intimacy. He profiles the two most common types of couples--best friends and passionate lovers--and suggests ways of synthesizing the best that each type has to offer. Rabbi Boteach also provides advice for singles on finding the right partner, for individuals both sure and unsure about taking their long-term relationship to the next level, and for married couples who may be experiencing problems in their sex life. At a time when three out of every five marriages fail, Kosher Sex will have an astonishing and positive impact.

About this title

Review

Kosher Sex is based on the idea that sex is holy. Written by Shmuley Boteach, a Hasidic rabbi, the book occupies the interesting juncture between sex and religion. Using traditional Jewish thought, Boteach attempts to remove sexual taboos and explain the power and place of sex within a marriage. While Boteach uses the Talmud and the Old Testament as the basis for his approach, his treatise is by no means just for Jewish people. His ideas are universal as he attempts to show how married couples can keep the love in their relationships alive. Kosher sex--"passionate lovemaking that leads to intimacy"--is applicable to all, despite the Jewish terminology.

Peppering explanations with plenty of examples, Kosher Sex is immensely readable. It defines couples as one of two types: the best friends and the passionate lovers. Best friends frequently lack a spark in their relationship, while passionate lovers often have tumultuous marriages, without the intimacy of friendship. Boteach attempts to harmonize the two types into a successful relationship.

Some of Boteach's ideas may strike a liberal reader as overly conservative--his thoughts are directed at married couples, as he firmly believes sex has no place outside of this committed bond. Furthermore, his beliefs on such issues as the place of masturbation and pornography in marriage, whether or not sex should be used to settle arguments, and if the lights should be on or off while making love may make Dan Savage or Susie Bright fans cringe. His ideas for singles attempting to find the right partner seem somewhat outdated. Yet, for those who hold traditional views, this book may seem a daring and helpful foray into a topic that is not openly discussed. He makes interesting and valid arguments for all of his points, whether or not you agree with him. In a time when the divorce rate continues to soar, perhaps Rabbi Boteach isn't so off the mark. --Jenny Brown

From the Back Cover

"A saucy, slim volume...[Proves] that sex can be both holy and hot."
--USA Today

"He's Dr. Ruth with a yarmulke."
--Washington Post

"A saucy, slim volume...[proves] that sex can be both holy and hot."
--USA Today

"Boteach possesses the power to surprise as much as he does to preach....Sure to set off firecrackers in traditional Jewish circles...Provocative."
--Publishers Weekly

"A sex book with a difference...preaches back-to-bedroom basics...[while bringing] Jewish teachings on sex to a wider public: Jewish, Gentile, atheist, and anyone else who cares to listen."
--Time

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday Religion
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0385494653
• ISBN 13: 9780385494656
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304