1. It is written, "Therefore a man shall leave his father
and his mother and shall cling to his wife and they shall be one
flesh" (Gen. 2:24). According to the Holy Spirit this
verse comes to instruct mankind concerning forbidden relationships.'
Rashi comments that the phrase, "Therefore a man shall
leave his father and his mother," forbids the man to
have sexual relations with the wife of his father (not his mother)
even after the death of his father, when she is no longer considered
a married woman. Obviously, this also includes his natural mother.
The phrase, "cling to his wife," comes to teach
us that he shall have relations with his own wife and not another
man's wife. "To his wife" comes to teach us that
he shall have relations with the opposite sex, not with a male.
"And they shall be of one flesh" comes to exclude
any animal, for an animal is not of one flesh with a man.
2. A Gentile is forbidden to have relationships with certain
relatives and others to whom he or she is not related. These are:
- Mother (even if his birth had been the result of her having
been seduced or raped)
- Father
- Daughter
- Father's sister
- Mother's sister
3. Under the Seven Universal Laws, one is permitted to have relations
with individuals related through marriage after the death of the
relative. According to some opinions, this even includes a man's
father's wife (not his mother) after his father dies. Those falling
in this category are:
- Father's wife (not one's mother)
- Brother's wife
- Wife's Sister
- Daughter-in-law
- Stepdaughter.
4. It is the opinion of some authorities that the father's wife
is forbidden even after the death of the father, and the prohibition
is thought to include women that the father merely had relations
with, even if they were seduced or raped by the father. Other
authorities permit relations with the father's wife after his
death, but forbid relations with either the father's or the mother's
maternal sister. It is argued in the name of Rabbi Akiva that
all relationships that warrant the death penalty in a Jewish court
of law also will receive the death penalty in a Gentile court
of law. This includes a relationship that exists through marriage
(with a mother-in-law or daughter-in-law). The reason is that
since one's father's wife is forbidden, this is extended to include
others related through marriage (a mother-in-law being related
through marriage). Such relationships are punishable by the courts.
Other authorities say that only the father's wife is in this
forbidden Category, and they exclude other relatives through marriage.
Forbidden relationships, other than with relatives, are:
- A man with another man's wife
- A male with a male
- A person (male or female) with an animal
- A man is forbidden to have relations with another man's wife,
whether she is the wife of another Gentile or the Jewish wife
of a Jew.
5. Although a Jewish man is forbidden to marry a Gentile woman
and from the perspective of the Jewish man there is no marriage,
nevertheless, the bond of marriage exists for her and she is forbidden
to other men. Under the Seven Universal Commandments, a woman
is considered to be a man's wife when the couple has sexual relations
with the intent that it constitute marriage.
6. A man is not punished by the courts for having relations with
a married woman unless he has sexual intercourse with her in the
normal manner (vaginal penetration), inasmuch as this is considered
to be the way for a man to be with a woman. But with other forbidden
relationships, a man is liable for punishment for sodomy or any
other sexual act; it does not have to be the normal way of intercourse."
7. A man is liable for punishment even if there was only slight
penetration during the act of intercourse. However, some are of
the opinion that one is not liable for only slight penetration.
8. A man is not punished by the courts for having relations with
a married woman until she has consummated her marriage with her
husband. But if she is engaged and not yet married, even if she
is standing under the wedding canopy, and there has been no consummation
of the marriage, he is not liable for punishment by the courts.
By this law, we are referring to a Gentile man with a Gentile
woman.
9. Regarding a Gentile man and an Israelite woman, whether she
has consummated the marriage or is engaged and has not yet consummated
the marriage or married but has not consummated the marriage,
he is liable for capital punishment. . In times of slavery, if
a Gentile man designated a specific female slave for his male
slave and then had relations with her, he was killed because of
it. She was considered another man's wife. However, the master
was not condemned until it had become public knowledge that those
particular slaves had been given to each other. And when did she
become permissible again? When she separated from him and uncovered
her head in the marketplace (that is, demonstrated publicly that
she was available to any man).
10. The concept of divorce with regard to gentiles is a matter
of dispute. One opinion holds that there is no divorce possible.
Another opinion states that no writ of divorce is necessary, rather
that divorce is dependent solely on the volition of either spouse,
even if one of them is against the divorce. They separate due
to the desire of either one and the thing is done. Others contend
that the woman may divorce her husband, but that the husband may
not divorce his wife.
11. One who caresses a forbidden member of the opposite sex, or
hugs or kisses in a manner of lust, or has close personal contact
for the sake of pleasure, transgresses the commandment prohibiting
forbidden relationships, but he is not punished by the courts.
In all cases where the courts are not empowered to act, punishment
is meted out by God
12. It is forbidden to signal with the hands or the feet or to
wink at any person who is in 'the category of a forbidden relationship.
One should not be frivolous or light-headed with anyone in this
category, nor should a man deliberately smell the perfume or gaze
at the beauty of a woman who is forbidden.
13. A man is guilty of transgressing the commandment forbidding
illicit sexual relations by having relations with a male whether
the male is an adult or a child, whether the m4e is consenting,
coerced or forced, in public or in the privacy of one's own domicile.
(Note: In the Holy Scriptures, of all the illicit sexual relationships
mentioned, only homosexuality is described as an "abomination
to God." Even bestiality is not so described.
14. From a
spiritual perspective, homosexuality is devastating, destroying
both the body and the soul of those who engage in it. No homosexual
was ever born into this world through a homosexual relationship.
And although it is true that a person may have congenital tendencies
towards homosexuality, it is like the child with the trait of
tearing out its hair or banging its head against the wall. If
the tendency is destructive, the goal is to seek correction. When
a person is ill, the goal is to help him get well. Ultimately,
homosexuals themselves will complain against those who misled
them by condoning their practices and encouraging them, including
the politicians who pander to them as a constituency. In the end
they will see that this deviation brings one to excessive, abnormal
weakness and to horrible diseases as we are beginning to discover.
In the context of history, every society that encouraged or condoned
homosexuality was short-lived, terminated even at the height of
its glory. Most. notable of these, of course, was ancient Greece,
which ruled the world and then was summarily voided in its prime.
Ironically, it was the tiny Jewish nation led by the priestly
Maccabees that broke the back of the mighty Greek Empire. It is
no wonder then that Jewish religionists are so outraged at this
society's permissive attitude towards homosexuality, which is
the essence of Western society's corrupting Hellenistic legacy.)
15. Though it violates the spirit of the Seven Universal Commandments,
lesbianism is not explicitly stated as one of the forbidden relationships.
Lesbianism is, however, deemed an immoral and unnatural relationship
that destroys the order of the world. Prostitution is in the same
general category; that is, while not strictly forbidden, it is
outside the realm of morality and therefore violates the spirit
of the Seven Universal Laws.
16. Relations with an animal are forbidden at any stage of the
animal's maturity, even the day of its birth. A Gentile who has
sexual relations with an animal is liable for punishment, but
the animal is not killed. In the case of a Jew copulating with
an animal, both the person and the animal are killed.
The Children of Noah are considered related only through the
mother. Those on the father's side are not considered relatives.
This means that a man's half-sister (of the same father but a
different mother) is not considered related to him and is permissible
to him. . There is an argument in the Talmud as to whether a Gentile
is permitted to have a relationship with his daughter inasmuch
as she is not considered his relative. The conclusion is that,
despite the fact that his daughter is not considered to be his
relative, she is nonetheless forbidden because she is in the same
category as his mother (a parent-child relationship), and his
mother is forbidden.
17. In a homosexual or bestial act, one is liable even if there
is only partial penetration.
18. It is forbidden under the Seven Universal Commandments to
castrate any male, whether man or animal or fowl. This aspect
of the law correlates to both the Laws of Forbidden Relations
and the Laws of the Limb of a Living Animal. In one opinion, castration
of oneself is a transgression, but it is questionable whether
it is a transgression to fulfill someone's request to castrate
him or even to agree to castrate an animal of his, despite its
clearly being an act of maiming one of God's creatures. Nevertheless,
even with so bizarre and irreversible an act as castration, repentance
and forgiveness are possible through God's great mercy, as it
is written, "For thus has said the Lord concerning the
eunuchs that keep My Sabbaths and choose that which pleases Me,
and take hold of My covenant. I will give to them within My house
and within My walls a place and a name better than sons and daughters;
and an everlasting name will I give them that will not be cut
off" (Isa. 56:4-5).
The above was published by the author, Chaim Clorfene, in the book, "The Path of the Righteous Gentile." You may write to the author at: ohradio@actcom.co.il