Here's the original (Tzava'as haRivash 123:2):
A man should love his wife in the same manner that he loves his tefilin – that is solely because the tefilin are an instrument for fulfilling G-d's commandments.
He should not think about her as a desirable physical being.
This is explained by the following: A man who wants to travel to the market and he can only travel there by riding a horse - should his need for the horse cause him to love the horse?
Is there any greater nonsense to think such a thought?
Similarly, in this world a man needs a wife in order to fulfill the service of G-d in order to be able to merit the future world. And if he neglects his service of G-d in order to think about her –
Is there any greater nonsense than that?
Rather he should view her as physically repulsive.
Therefore, if he sees a beautiful woman, he should realize that the white components of her body come from the father's semen while the red components are from the mother's blood which is repulsive and if he places such on food – the food would become disgusting.
What a fine example of the value of a woman in Judaism!
Hat tip: StM.
jimmy soul agrees. https://youtu.be/Qh9ZZgDqzAg
ReplyDeleteActually, what he is saying is that one's love for his wife should go more than skin deep. His love for her should have deeper components than just lust. Rather, they should connect emotionally and spiritually, as G-d wants them, so that their marriage isn't shallow. Marriages in where there is merely a physical connection, end as soon as the physical attraction wears off, usually not too long after marriage. Marriages where there is a deeper component, last much longer.
ReplyDeleteNo, that's not what he says. He says that he should see her as repulsive. The right thing to say would be what you said, namely, that his love should go deeper than just flesh and bones. But he didn't.
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ReplyDeleteR. Israel Baal Shem*** [Tov]
DeleteHi, my name is Yechiel. I don't know how else to contact you so I'm doing it this way.
ReplyDeleteAre you still writing? I'm forming an ex-yeshiva writers group on Facebook and want to know if you want to join. The purpose is to write stories about the yeshiva experience; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Members can share ideas, give encouragement, or post full stories. Let me know what you think.
The group's name is Yeshiva Fiction Writers.
All the best,
Yechiel
@Yechiel: Contact me on undercoverkofer@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYechiel, years ago there was a blogger who called himself Ben Avuyah. He used to write such stories. I don't know how to reach him, but if you could find him, he would be perfect for your group.
ReplyDelete-S.
I know, but I can't reach him.
DeleteThe fact that the Maggid had these views on women is not shocking at all. I wrote a whole article about how Judaism is misogynistic. Apparently "god" just doesn't like women as much as he does men, and so the men decided that they're going to do everything in their power to make the women's lives just as miserable as their god wants them to. Susan B. Anthony said, "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
DeleteAnyway, if you want you can see my article here:
https://ultraorthodoxatheism.blogspot.com/2018/06/is-judaism-misogynistic.html
I sent you an email.
ReplyDeleteThe comments of one lunatic maggid (stipulating to your translation and understanding) is one man's opinion. So what. Perhaps there are none other brain dead men around who follow him/it, but that still doesn't mean it is mainstream.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you had to pull this out of a rubbish dump somewhere to publicize it is even more proof of its irrelevancies.
One man doesn't make Judaism.
Don't quote the garbage, look for the useful beauty in whatever you do.
He's not just one lunatic maggid, he's, amongst others, the forebear of Chabad. That's a pretty important slice of the frum cake.
DeleteI looked for the beautiful and it's all nice and dandy but it's just not true, in my opinion.
I call out the frum especially where they cause damage to others, in this case women.
veyimos osah is not a command, “you should abhor her,” but a result, “if you focus solely on the physical aspect, you will come to abhor her.”
ReplyDelete