Summary Lesson 43: “Take Upon You My Whole Armor”

1. Modern Jewish Attitude on Sexuality and Morality: “. . . man must serve God with his soul and his body. A person’s soul is that part of him that loves God and His goodness and wants to be like Him, and a person’s body is the physical container of his soul on earth. Nearly all the mitzvot which God gave are to be performed with the body. Thus the physical actions of man are sanctified. This applies to all the physical aspects of life: even sex when it is practiced in the proper framework, marriage, is in accordance with the will of God and is a mitzvah.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
2. In Holiness: “The primary restriction of sexual activity in Jewish law is that it should take place within marriage, as an expression of love between husband and wife as well as out of a desire to fulfill God’s commandments. An element of holiness is added by the laws of niddah (separation during the period of menstruation, which ensure that the couple does not indulge in sex on impulse but rather directs the act to holiness.)” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

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3. Self Control: “Chastity, the goal to be aimed for, does not mean the avoidance of all sex but of illegal sex. This includes adultery, incest, sodomy, rape and seduction. Adultery is defined as sexual relations between a married woman and any man other than her husband. “Judaism encourages modesty as one of the means to chastity . . . dress and act modestly at all times. Furthermore, a man is forbidden to be alone with a woman with whom he is not permitted to have sexual relations from considerations of both chastity and modesty.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
4. Spiritual Aspects of Truthfulness: “What is religion? ‘Pure religion . . .To visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ . . . a person who is . . . thoughtful to the unfortunate . . . inner spirit that prompts to deeds of kindness . . . blameless life; who is just, truthful; who does not . . . think more highly of himself than he ought to think; who is affectionate, patient in tribulation, diligent, cheerful, fervent in spirit, hospitable, merciful; and who abhors evil and cleaves to that which is good . . . is a true sign . . .” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.121)
5. “Whole-istic:” “. . . what justice means in commercial life: employer-employee relationships, duties of workers to employers; legitimate prices, fair weight and measure; fair contracts; fair and unfair competition; the spoken word as a binding contract. The laws are infused with fairness in spirit as well as in fact. It is recognized that in a ruthless business world of mixed peoples, honest dealings are difficult, but the Jew should know and retain his ideals.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)