{"id":45450,"date":"2018-12-10T20:30:12","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T18:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=45450"},"modified":"2022-07-05T09:44:01","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T06:44:01","slug":"why-is-incest-taboo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/why-is-incest-taboo\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Incest Taboo?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":50634,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[376,766,759],"acf":{"old_id":"45450","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33859,"related_cahpter":"108","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The answer is choice: the essence of love is the chosen creation of a covenantal relationship with the \u2018other\u2019","content":"<p style=\"direction: ltr;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s so bad about incest? If two consenting adults want to enter an intimate relationship with one another, why should the fact that they happen to be blood relatives matter? It\u2019s not currently a cause celebre amongst opponents of religious influence on secular law, but theoretically there\u2019s a strong argument to be made against the infringement on personal autonomy. True, perhaps there are potential genetic problems with such unions, but why shouldn&#8217;t people be allowed to make their own choice about such dangers? In some countries, in fact, there are no laws against incest, unless a minor is involved. Apparently, Canaan and Mitzrayim were countries like that, and the Torah\u2019s opposition to this state of affairs is fierce.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some will explain the Torah\u2019s legislation regarding forbidden sexual relationships in general in terms of \u201cproperty rights\u201d that men had over women. A man is forbidden from sleeping with his daughter in law because she is \u201chis son\u2019s\u201d, likewise, his sister-in-law is \u201chis brother\u2019s\u201d. It\u2019s true that these formulations exist in the Torah, and that these laws are almost exclusively addressed to men, but that theory doesn\u2019t fit the whole story, or even most of it. For example, adultery is not expressed here as a sin against the woman\u2019s husband; and incestuous adultery with one\u2019s mother is expressed specifically in terms of a person\u2019s relationship with his mother. Similarly for a sister and an aunt, the problem the Torah presents is because- \u201cshe\u2019s your sister\u201d or \u201cshe\u2019s your aunt\u201d, not in terms of other men who own them. So why is this problematic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s a saying that &#8220;You don&#8217;t choose family.&#8221; Our distance from or proximity to our relatives is not something we get to choose, with one very important relationship being the notable exception, and perhaps this is the beginning of the answer to our question. The phrase you\u2019ll find on Hebrew wedding invitations to refer to bride and groom is \u2018<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bechirat libo<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 and \u2018<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bechirat liba<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019, the chosen one of his and her heart. The essence of marriage is the creation of a covenantal, existential relationship with the \u2018other\u2019. The \u2018continuation of our flesh\u2019, as the Torah terms relatives, is too close to truly be an \u2018other\u2019 and too close to truly be a choice. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must choose your life\u2019s partner. You can\u2019t choose your family. And never the twain shall meet.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":70536,"id":70536,"title":"jer21-choice","filename":"jer21-choice.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer21-choice.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-age-of-agency-begins\/jer21-choice\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jer21-choice","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":70535,"date":"2020-02-22 14:06:13","modified":"2022-07-05 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