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ɳ Response

Before responding to the question that was put to us, let us first dis-
cuss whether or not a man is allowed to emit semen and deposit it
for the purpose of impregnating his wife and perpetuating his name
among the Jewish nation.

It says in the Torah, “Lo sin’af (Do not fornicate)” (Shemos 20:13)
which the Sages interpret (Niddah 13b) to mean, “There should be
no fornication among you, either by hand or foot [meaning, rubbing
the male organ with a hand or foot and emitting semen for naught]
(Maadanei Yom Tov ibid. on the Rosh, Niddah chap. 2, 1,40). See
the commentary of the Sifsei Kohen on the Torah (in parshas Yisro),
which cites a medrash of Chazal that expounds the word sin’af to
mean “lo se’heneh mei’af [do not derive pleasure from af i.e. from the
emission of semen, which is a sin that arouses af, Hakadosh baruch
Hu’s anger] sin’af…tein af, meaning that transgressing this sin em-
powers Heaven’s anger, giving it dominion in the world.

The Shulchan Aruch (Even Ha’ezer 23:1) writes: “Emitting semen
is a serious prohibition, more stringent than all other transgressions
in the Torah. It is said, ‘What he [i.e. Onan] did was evil in G-d’s
eyes and He killed him too’ (Bereishis 38: 10). This was the sin of the
generation of the Flood, and Chazal say in Niddah (13a), “Any hand
that frequently examines [his own male organ] deserves to be severed
and [such a person] also violates the precept ‘Guard yourselves from
every evil thing.’” (23:10)

A person who emits semen for naught is akin to a murderer, as it
says “who slaughter the children” (Yeshayah 57:5) – Do not read it
shochtei (who slay) but sochatei (who squeeze) and of them it is said,
“Your hands are full of blood” – this refers to those who fornicate by
hand [i.e. masturbate]. (Niddah 13a) and whoever does so is liable to
be under ban (Rambam, Hilchos Issurei Bi’ah 21:18). The holy Zohar
(in parshas Vayeshev and parshas Vayechi) speaks at length about the
severe punishment this sin incurs.

Likewise, the Aruch La’ner (Niddah 13 and in his responsa, Binyan

A Husband’s request for Posthumous Artificial Inseminatio 2 61