Celebrated sex expert and bestselling author Dr. Ruth Westheimer bridges the gap between sex and religion in this provocative exploration of intimacy in the Jewish faith In this light-hearted, lively tour of Jewish sexuality, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Jonathan Mark team up to reveal how the Jewish tradition is much more progressive than popular wisdom might lead one to believe. Applying Dr. Ruth’s acclaimed brand of couples therapy to such Biblical relationships as Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, the authors enlist Biblical lore to explore such topics as surrogacy, incest, and arranged marriages. They offer a clearer understanding of the intertwining relationships between sexuality and spirituality through incisive investigations of the Song of Songs, Ruth, Proverbs, Psalms, and some of the bawdier tales of the Prophets. One chapter provides a provocative new perspective on the Sabbath as a weekly revival, highlighting not only its spiritual nature, but also its marital and sexual aspects. Focusing specifically on Orthodox forms of Judaism and offering Dr. Ruth's singular interpretations, the book answers such questions as: What night of the week is best for making love? How often should couples have sex? Can traditional Jewish notions of sex and sexuality be reconciled with contemporary beliefs? What roles can and do dreams and fantasy play? In Heavenly Sex, America's favorite sex therapist takes readers on a frank and fascinating journey to the heart of Jewish sexuality as she fits twenty-first century sexual mores into an ancient—and lusty—spiritual tradition.

Celebrated sex expert and bestselling author Dr. Ruth Westheimer bridges the gap between sex and religion in this provocative exploration of intimacy in the Jewish faith In this light-hearted, lively tour of Jewish sexuality, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Jonathan Mark team up to reveal how the Jewish tradition is much more progressive than popular wisdom might lead one to believe. Applying Dr. Ruth’s acclaimed brand of couples therapy to such Biblical relationships as Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, the authors enlist Biblical lore to explore such topics as surrogacy, incest, and arranged marriages. They offer a clearer understanding of the intertwining relationships between sexuality and spirituality through incisive investigations of the Song of Songs, Ruth, Proverbs, Psalms, and some of the bawdier tales of the Prophets. One chapter provides a provocative new perspective on the Sabbath as a weekly revival, highlighting not only its spiritual nature, but also its marital and sexual aspects. Focusing specifically on Orthodox forms of Judaism and offering Dr. Ruth's singular interpretations, the book answers such questions as: What night of the week is best for making love? How often should couples have sex? Can traditional Jewish notions of sex and sexuality be reconciled with contemporary beliefs? What roles can and do dreams and fantasy play? In Heavenly Sex, America's favorite sex therapist takes readers on a frank and fascinating journey to the heart of Jewish sexuality as she fits twenty-first century sexual mores into an ancient—and lusty—spiritual tradition.

This work is part of a growing chorus of theological voices raised in support of erotic desire. Although most theologians have concluded that there will be no experience of sexual desire and delight in the world to come, Patricia Beattie Jung critically examines the historical traditions and biblical rationales for this teaching. She defends an alternative claim that there will be a healed and glorified experience of sex in heaven based on a compelling account of the Christian hope for bodily resurrection. The first half of the work focuses on Christian foundations for the notion of sex in heaven, while the second goes on to discuss some of the implications of those convictions for sex on earth. Jung concludes with discussions of how best to nurture sexual delight on earth and how and why internet pornography fails in that regard.

Heavenly Sex is a book of poems about varieties of love, sacred and profane, particularly as experienced by a young man who has recently lost his mother. It is, at the same time, as noted by Robert Bly, a celebration of one of the more unusual father-son relationships. In one poem the son observes his distraught father as he seeks to win the affections of a beautiful new companion. Claiming to quote scripture, the father says, "A woman's breasts are the Ten Commandments, the two tablets of God's law. One for what God allows, one for what He doesn't." "The way we make love," he goes on, "is the way God will be with us." A self-taught Russian immigrant, drawing on a variety of ancient mystical doctrines, the father emerges as the book's central figure. As critic William Minor observed, Sward presents "abstruse or complex concerns in a manner that is refreshingly straightforward, even simple" at the same time he manages to tell a story, "providing a continuous narrative thread, yet remaining totally lyrical at the same time." Heavenly Sex is, in addition, a book about family and offers vivid demonstrations of the ways in which one's parents, grandparents, and one's children, live on inside one. Part II is made up of a selection of Sward's, until recently, out-of-print animal poems, Uncle Dog: the Poet at 9, Scarlet the Parrot and others. Report from the Front, the final section, is more political and satirical in tone, as illustrated by Fellatio Pinocchio, 1950s-1960s and the tour de force, 45 Poets Named Robert.

Birthdays hold the keys to the best sex you'll ever have--if only you knew how to read the signs. In this book, noted astrologer and author Phyllis Vega draws on the predictive powers of astrology and the ancient art of numerology to create revealing erotic profiles for you to use in between the sheets. August 8--Leo What Makes You Tick You're so self-assured that your majestic presence and logical mind make people think you know what you're talking about, even when you don't. You have very definite ideas about who should be in charge in any given situation, and anyone who wants to score points with you will make it seem as if you are running the show, even when you're not. Although demanding in relationships, you're also generous, protective, caring, and loyal. Between the Sheets Casual bedroom dalliances don't really appeal to you; you prefer saving your passion for a grand affair of the heart. Fearful of rejection, you restrain yourself until you're sure that you and the object of your affection are on the same page. However, behind closed doors, you're a fiery, dramatic bedmate. A powerhouse of sexual energy, you like being the one in control of your bedroom encounters. Tips for Your Ideal Lover Erotic massage turns you on and sharing an aromatic bubble bath with your partner puts you in a playful mood. You enjoy making a production of your lovemaking with sexy attire, sumptuous bedding, candles, and music. With this entertainingly erotic guide, you'll learn intimate sex secrets about yourself, as well as those of your lovers--past, present, and future!

"And so the way we worship apparently matters less to God than the way we make love. The diagnosis may not be limited to Roman Catholicism, for today Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim communities also struggle to decide what the next world holds for their sexual dissidents. Curiously, debates over where gay people belong now feed into debates over how much equality women deserve in the West's three major faith traditions."--BOOK JACKET.

The Bible has a way of shocking us. If Americans could still blush, we might blush at the words, "Rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love" (Proverbs 5:18-19). But, of course, sin always tries to trash God's gifts. So we can't just celebrate sex for what God made it to be; we have to fight what sin turned it into. The contributors to this unique volume encourage you to do both: celebrate and struggle. This book has something for all-men and women, married and single-from contributors like John Piper, C. J. and Carolyn Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Carolyn McCulley, and others.