Day 62
Niddah and Jewish Sexual Ethics
In loving memory of Minky Rochel bas Boruch Zvi Ha Levi
Most people have heard the popular claim that men think about sex every seven seconds (around 8,000 times a day!). But there is no scientific research to back that assertion. The recently released and only definitive study to date (Ohio State University) found the median number of sexually related thoughts per day for men to be about 19, and half of that for women. The study subjects were told to also chart the number of times they thought about food and sleep and, surprisingly, the numbers did not vary greatly from thoughts about sex.
So why does sex take up so much mind and heart space? Why does it saturate popular culture and media? Why does it pervade advertising? Why have otherwise sane individuals sabotaged very successful career paths and family units because they were blinded by carnal desire?
We seem to be built this way. The first description of man in the Bible is sexual: “Male and female He created them.” On the scale of human urges, sexuality is second, trumped only by the will to survive.
