(09-03-2012, 11:43 AM)Daniel2 Wrote: If Er and Onan in Genesis 38 were punished for committing coitus interruptus, which is a very ineffective way of preventing conception, then why would the use of condoms be allowed, which is almost 100% effective in preventing it?
1. There are TWO separate issues involved. (a) The positive obligation to "be fruitful and multiply", and (b) the sin of emitting male seed in vain.
2. Before Mount Sinai, all mankind was obligated to fulfill the Divine directive to "be fruitful and multiply". At Mount Sinai, that directive was given as an explicit positive commandment for Jewish men, and Gentiles were no longer obligated to "be fruitful and multiply" on an individual basis, although it remains a constructive act and a Divine objective for mankind.
3. Since the sin of emitting male seed in vain is not stated explicitly in the 5 Books of Moses, men who commit this sin and do not repent from it incur only punishment from G-d (in addition to the physical and emotion harm it causes), but there is no requirement for punishment from a physical court as a matter of Torah Law.
4. Er and Onan were punished in a uniquely severe way, by immediate and open Divine miracles, because they transgressed on a number of levels:
a) They refused to fulfill their pre-Sinai obligation to "be fruitful and multiply"
b) They committed the sin of emitting male seed in vain
c) They refused to abide by the established custom of Jacob's family to observe the post-Sinai Jewish commandments (namely the Jewish commandment to "be fruitful and mulitply")
d) The family of Jacob had the prophetic tradition that the Messiah would be born from the male lineage of Judah their father, so by their actions they were impeding the progression toward the Messiah's eventual birth, which is a foundational purpose for the existence of the entire creation. So they were nullifying a specific purpose of creation for which they were personally responsible, as sons of Judah.
e) Due to the enormity of all these combined sins, G-d punished Er and Onan immediately and severely. So it was not just a matter that they prevented conception in the context of average people at that time.
(09-03-2012, 11:43 AM)Daniel2 Wrote: If condoms were available at that time, would have they still been punished?
If Er and Onan had used condoms during marital intercourse instead of committing coitus interruptus, I think it's impossible to say if or how they would have been punished (pre-Sinai), because that is not considered wasteful emission of male seed for Gentiles, although it is for Jews.
(09-03-2012, 11:43 AM)Daniel2 Wrote: I also remember reading in "The Divine Code" that the use of condoms on a temporary basis for gentiles is permitted, but to use them on a permanent basis to prevent conception would not be allowed. Would this mean that a gentile man who does not want to ever have children should never get married and remain celebate forever unless it's a woman who is incapable of conceiving?
No. The obligation for a man to father children, and the obligation for a man to have a wife (i.e., to lead a married life together, with or without children), each stand on their own in terms of the overall general benefits for the individual and/or for society. Of course, it is more meritorious when a married man fathers children with his wife.
(09-03-2012, 11:43 AM)Daniel2 Wrote: Also why is the use of condoms considered spilling seed only for Jewish men?
Because for Jews it is an absolute requirement in G-d's Law that the man's seed must have internal contact with the woman's flesh.