THIS PODCAST CONTAINS EXPLICIT MATERIAL. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. While many people know that Judaism has a positive orientation toward marriage and sex, people often assume that, even within marriage, there are severe restrictions on what is allowed and what is forbidden. In this episode of the Orthodox Conundrum, Scott Kahn speaks with Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro, author of Halachic Positions: What Judaism Really Says About Passion In The Marital Bed, in order to understand the source of these assumptions, and to discover what the Halachic literature actually says about this topic. (This is the first of a multi-part series on Sexuality and Jewish Law on The Orthodox Conundrum.) To order Rabbi Shapiro's book, go to https://www.amazon.com/Halachic-Positions-Sexuality-Balanced-Approach/dp/0692563237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509464226&sr=8-1&keywords=yaakov+shapiro Music: Happy Rock by bensound.com

Rabbi Asher Lopatin is the president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York. Chovevei Torah has long been associated with "Open Orthodoxy," but Rabbi Lopatin recently decided to retire that moniker, and wants his yeshiva to be seen as an integral part of the Modern Orthodox world. Many Orthodox Jews, however, view Chovevei Torah as standing outside of Orthodoxy. Join Scott Kahn as he and Rabbi Lopatin have a frank discussion about the meaning of Modern Orthodoxy, women's roles, gay marriage, the sine qua non of Orthodox belief, including the necessity of belief in Torah from Heaven, and more. Music: Happy Rock by bensound.com