Consider this your lefty-style trigger warning: I am about to talk about sex. Nothing too graphic, but if you prefer to keep your reading on the vanilla side, then this is an entry you may wish to skip.
"Kink" refers to a broad range of things, but mostly the world of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism). It's restraints, roleplay, and a whole bunch of other things that ADULTS may enjoy.
There was an interesting piece in Politico a few years ago that found that Republicans and Democrats had different fantasies. The former fantasized about sex outside their marriages; the latter liked BDSM.
The best explanation: fantasy often involves what we aren't supposed to do or to like. Republicans support traditional marriage; Democrats support gender equality. Each side fantasizes about the alternative.
That's a broad generalization. I'm not going to bore you with my own fantasies, except to say that while I'm politically on one side, my fantasy life is omnivorous (maybe because I was once on the left?).
I'm fearful even to acknowledge that I HAVE fantasies. It would not be controversial if I were not a public figure. But when you are in public life, especially as a conservative, people use it against you.
Nevertheless, I'm really tired of hiding from myself -- not just in sexual ways. I keep my politics hidden sometimes, for example. I need to live more authentically. It feels shameful to be ashamed.
Back to sex: I'm not into anything too crazy. But I like beauty and a sense of adventure. My wife and I have enjoyed a wonderfully playful erotic life for the 18 years we've been together (married 13 years).
The Jewish religion is somewhat more liberal, in the classical sense, about sex than other monotheistic faiths. The Talmud says that, in the context of marriage at least, lovers can do whatever they want.
I sometimes marvel at the frequency with which Jewish males seem to get into sexual trouble in public life, and I wonder if it's because they're secular and therefore misdirect that religious, sexual energy.
My wife and I also practice what is known as "taharat mischpacha" -- the Jewish laws of family purity, which is a cycle of abstinence that starts with a woman's period and continues for seven days after it.
Part of the idea, a rabbi explained to me once, is that absence keeps desire burning. In the 12-14 days in which you cannot touch each other, your wife becomes the "other" woman (see Politico, above).
I think that's fun -- and I think kink can perform a similar function. When one partner is restrained, the other can enact his or her full desires; the restrained one can experience feelings in a pure sense.
Roleplay is also fun. It introduces a sense of silliness and delight, and allows you to experience alternate states of consciousness. And all of this without drugs, alcohol, or anything that is actually unhealthy.
I think I've said enough. It's not the kind of thing I'd bring up in an open forum or at work, of course. But I also want to stop being afraid of who I am and what I like. This is a way of overcoming that fear.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
