{"id":9596,"date":"2014-09-04T05:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T02:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=9596"},"modified":"2019-11-21T11:43:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T09:43:33","slug":"14-04-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/14-04-05\/","title":{"rendered":"05. The Prohibition on Things That Lead to This Sin"},"content":{"rendered":"

A man may not touch his penis, lest it lead to an erection and masturbation. When urinating, if he is concerned about splattering in the area or on his legs, he may aim by touching the corona of the penis, which is less easily stimulated. If he is married and his wife is ritually pure, he may touch his penis to aim. However, for any other reason, even a married man may not touch himself, lest he stimulate himself, for stimulation should be reserved for increasing the love between the spouses.[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

When necessary to prevent itchiness or discomfort, a man may touch himself through a thick cloth. This way, there is no concern of his becoming stimulated as long as he is not intending to do so (MB 3:15). Similarly, when he is wearing pants, he may adjust himself through the pants.<\/p>\n

A man may touch his penis in order to alleviate pain, such as to apply ointment or remove a splinter, as long as he does not cause arousal.<\/p>\n

The prohibition is to touch the penis; there is no prohibition to touch the testicles, as long as he does not stimulate himself thereby. Even when a man takes a shower, he should not touch his penis with his hands, lest he stimulate himself. Rather, he should wash and clean around the genital area, and the soap and water will clean the penis as well (MA 3:14; Ru\u2019a\u1e25 \u1e24ayim<\/em>, EH 23:3). Some permit a man to touch his penis directly when necessary, as long as he does not cause arousal (Seder Ha-yom<\/em>). A married man be lenient when necessary (see Otzar Ha-poskim<\/em> 23:16:4).[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n[7]<\/a>. Most Rishonim allow a married man to be lenient and touch his penis, if necessary, when urinating (Rif, Rambam, Rosh, and many others). Shul\u1e25an Arukh<\/em> records this in EH (23:4) without mentioning the stringent opinion. In O\u1e24 as well (3:14), it presents the lenient opinion as the halakha<\/em>, adding, \u201cIt is a pious attribute for even a married man to be careful not to do so,\u201d which is the position of Rabbeinu Yona, Or Zaru\u2019a<\/em>, and Tur<\/em>. Within the lenient opinion, there is still some disagreement. Some say that this leniency applies only when the man\u2019s wife is with him (Smak<\/em>, Aguda<\/em>, and Ohel Mo\u2019ed<\/em>), while others maintain that it is always permitted, even if his wife is away or is a nidda<\/em> (Tosafot<\/em>, Me\u2019iri, and implicit in most Rishonim). According to MA 3:14, the leniency applies only when the man\u2019s wife is with him and is not a nidda<\/em>. Many A\u1e25aronim agree with this, including Birkei Yosef<\/em>, \u1e24ayei Adam<\/em>, SAH, and MB ad loc. <\/em>27. This is the position that I record above, since it is the intermediate position, taking both sides into account. It also neutralizes the major concern of those who are stringent (even though some are stringent under all circumstances). Nevertheless, many A\u1e25aronim adopt the most lenient position, applying the permission to a married man in all conditions (Beit Shmuel<\/em> and Bekhor Shor<\/em>). A married man who wishes to be lenient can rely on these A\u1e25aronim and touch his penis when urinating, as long as he does not stimulate himself thereby.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a>. The Talmud records the following dialogue:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Tarfon says, \u201cAny man who extends his hand below his navel should have it cut off.\u201d They asked R. Tarfon, \u201cIf a person has a thorn lodged in his gut, should he not remove it?\u201d He replied to them, \u201cHe should not.\u201d They asked, \u201cBut his stomach will split open because of it!\u201d He answered them, \u201cBetter for his stomach to split open than for him to descend into the pit of destruction.\u201d (Nidda<\/em> 13b)<\/li>\n
  2. Tarfon\u2019s intent is to prohibit touching the penis, not the testicles or the surrounding area (SA 3:15). If he is in pain, the halakha<\/em> follows the Sages, who disagree with R. Tarfon (see Igrot Moshe<\/em>, EH 1:56; Otzar Ha-poskim<\/em> 23:13:3).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Shul\u1e25an Arukh<\/em> states that a man may not ride an animal bareback, lest it cause him ejaculation (EH 23:6). However, riding with a saddle is permitted. If he uses a soft riding cloth, which, on one hand, is not as hard as a saddle, but creates a barrier between the rider and the warmth of the animal, Rambam permits, while Rashi still prohibits. SA seems to follow Rambam\u2019s lenient view. See Otzar Ha-poskim<\/em> 23:19:1. Some poskim<\/em> extend this concern to shoulder rides and prohibit them (R. \u1e24ayim Palachi, Ru\u2019a\u1e25 \u1e24ayim<\/em> 669). We are not concerned about this, for two reasons. First, shoulders are hard enough to be comparable to a saddle. Second, a person sitting on someone\u2019s shoulders is afraid of falling, and thus not occupying himself with sexual thoughts (compare Nidda<\/em> 13a). However, if someone knows that doing this is likely to stimulate him, he must avoid it.<\/p>\n

    The Sages cautioned that a man should not sleep on his back, face up, lest he get an erection (SA EH 23:3). However, it seems to me that this prohibition is based on the historical reality that people used to sleep in the nude. Thus, according to Rashi, the prohibition is out of concern that one would experience an erection and be ashamed, or that he might unintentionally touch himself. However, now that it is common practice to wear underwear even while sleeping, sleeping on one\u2019s back is not much of an issue. Another concern was that any movement of the blanket could be sexually stimulating (Rashbam, cited in Tosafot<\/em>, Nidda<\/em> 14a, s.v. \u201clayit\u201d), but this is not an issue for someone wearing underpants. See Peninei Halakha<\/em>: Laws of Prayer<\/em>, ch. 26 n. 3.<\/p>\n

    The Sages also taught, \u201cDo not gaze at animals or birds when they are mating. However, animal breeders may assist mating animals, because they are occupied by their work and will not have improper thoughts\u201d (Bava Metzia<\/em> 91a; SA EH 23:3). Or\u1e25ot Tzadikim<\/em> (Sha\u2019ar <\/em>26, Sha\u2019ar Ha-teshuva<\/em>) implies that the restriction is limited to people who have already sinned in this regard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A man may not touch his penis, lest it lead to an erection and masturbation. When urinating, if he is concerned about splattering in the area or on his legs, he may aim by touching the corona of the penis, which is less easily stimulated. If he is married and his wife is ritually pure, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-14-04"],"yoast_head":"\n05. 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