"The key to a harmonious and wholesome marriage lies in the couple's realization that they must satisfy one another's spiritual, emotional, and personal needs. This may be a conscious effort and it may require work. It is important to emphasize that respect is a two-way street. It is the Jewish family's responsibility to be a living example of the famous verse 'Love your fellow man as yourself.' This is accomplished, firstly, by living this verse themselves."

From Chapter One- 'Perfect Marriage', Pg 8:

"Love, as achieved through adherence to a Jewish life-style, can be likened to a good wine, maturing over the course of growing together and building a common life. It ripens and is cultivated by shared experiences, overcoming common obstacles and raising children. This is the idea behind, "A man will therefore leave his father and mother and be united with his wife. They will be as one flesh."

From 'Appendix- Fertility':

"Sometimes the absence of blessings for children is based on lack of observance in the laws of family purity. Since lack in knowledge often causes a lack in observance, they should clarify through an orthodox Rabbi who is an expert in these laws, what they are to do from here onwards." - Likutei Sichos vol. 17

CONTENTS

Approbations xi

Authorís Introduction xxiii

A Word to My Editor xxv

Acknowledgments xxvi

From the Rebbe

Letters on Jewish family purity

Chapter One - Perfect Marriage

What is a perfect marriage?

Chapter Two - Niddah

How a woman becomes a menstruant - niddah

Chapter Three - Stains

The ramifications of menstrual staining

Chapter Four - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

That which is permitted and forbidden during the time of impurity

Chapter Five - Making Sure Menstruation is Finished

Why and how to check to make sure menstruation has stopped

Chapter Six - The Seven White Days

What they are and what to do

Chapter Seven - Preparation for the Mikveh

How to prepare for immersion

Chapter Eight - Intervening Substances

Foreign objects found on the body and their effect on the wifeís immersion

Chapter Nine - What is a Mikveh?

Structure and concept

Chapter Ten - Immersion

How to immerse in the mikveh

Chapter Eleven - Intimate Relations

Personal relations between husband and wife

Chapter Twelve - Proper Times for Marital Relations

Times fitting for intimacy

Chapter Thirteen - The Wedding Night

Special considerations

Chapter Fourteen - Time of the Anticipated Menstruation

All about the time of the next menstruation

Chapter Fifteen - Birth

Laws and customs surrounding the birth of a child

APPENDICES

Physical Maturity

Educational suggestions for mothers

Fertility Page

The effect of the laws of family purity on fertility

Premenstrual Syndrome

PMS discomforts and their relief

The Menstrual Cycle

The physiological dynamics

Menstrual Cramps

Their causes and their relief

Stains - Surface Areas

Five Days

The source and purpose

Seven White Days

Fixed Cycles

How they are established and the outcome

Anticipated Menstruation - Other Poskim

Marital Obligations

Monetary and related obligations of marriage

Menopause

A brief description

Glossary

Sources

Index

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