1,049. One's Own Gratification

Because of the public nature of these posts, we are omitting some of the more graphic details of this chapter. HaShoneh Halachos encourages interested readers to review these laws more fully in the original sources.

150:9 A man's intention should not be his own physical gratification, but rather to fulfill his obligation to his wife and to fulfill a mitzvah. It is a mitzvah to have children but marital relations are still permitted even when one's wife is already pregnant. One may engage in relations so that his lust not lead him to sin but a person should still work on overcoming his lust. The Sages tell us that man has a small organ that the more he feeds it, the hungrier it gets. One should not allow himself to become subservient to his animal instincts.

150:10 If it's feasible, one should not have marital relations at the beginning of the night or at the end, but in the middle. A man should not touch his sexual organ, even for the purpose of having relations, without first washing his hands three times alternating.