Dedicated to Nariman House victims, it's a website to help Jews identify right dates for 'pure' sex
Dedicated to Nariman House victims, it's a website to help Jews identify right dates for 'pure' sex
A rabbi's wife in the US has come up with a sex site with a difference. Rivkah Bloom (27), who is also a software professional, will help Jewish couples maintain purity in their sexual relations, as demanded by the laws of the religion, through the portal.
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Pure: Rivkah with Rabbi Elazar and their son |
The site has been dedicated to Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah (Bloom's namesake), who were slain at Nariman House in last year's terror attacks.
In an email to this paper, she said, "As a Jew, I felt the Holtzbergs were family to me. I was inspired by their selflessness. Their passion in life was only to help other people."
'A fitting tribute'
"I wanted to do something in their honour," said Bloom. The site, which helps Jewish couples decide when they can have sex, keeping in mind the rules of purity related to the Taharat Hamishpacha (see box), sends out alerts to couples registered with the site.
Sex alert
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In memory: The site has been dedicated to Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah. file picu00a0 |
It sends out alerts to couples registered with the site. "The calculations are mathematical, and hence difficult for many people. We wanted to simplify it for as many people as possible," said Bloom
Bloom had been working on the site for four years and rolled out the venture in March.
Great response
Bloom, who holds a masters degree in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, added that "tens of thousands of people" had visited the site since its launch. The service provided is free until July 15. After that, it will cost users $18 (Rs 850) per year to log in and use the high-tech service.
Dr Aaron Abraham, a critical care physician at Breach Candy Hospital and a Jew, said it wasn't surprising that the need for such a site would arise with the Holtzbergs' inspiring so many.u00a0 "My family has shifted to orthodox Judaism because of the couple's inspiring work. Madame Rivkah was truly a model Jewish woman and it's only fitting that such a tribute is made," he said.
While the Holtzbergs were tragically slain at the Chabad outreach centre at Colaba, their son Moshe and nanny Sandra Samuel escaped and are living with relatives of the deceased couple in Israel.
Taharat HamishpachaLiterally translated the phrase means 'purity of the family'. The laws proscribe the right time for sexual relations between a couple based on the wife's menstruation cycle, which is considered an impure period.
After the menstruation cycle, the wife has to immerse herself in a specially constructed pool of water called a mikvah, among other things. Sexual relations can be resumed only after this.
