What does Maimonides have to say about erectile dysfunction?
From Iceland's penis museum to posthumous sperm retrieval in Israel, this Drop is a roller coaster ride of silly and serious.
Dear reader,
It’s time for another Jewish travel Drop! Even though my trip to Iceland was back in February. 🫣
But before we begin, join me and other like-minded Jews on Sunday, May 18th at 10:30am ET on Zoom for an Omer Circle, as we discuss the period of time between Passover and Shavuot, and discipline in Judaism. Register here!
Now, as you could guess, Iceland is… not that Jewish. This is probably due to its Norse pagan origins, followed by a Christian takeover around the year 1000 CE, and its geographic isolation.
So it was no surprise that during my short trip there, I visited more churches than synagogues, and more hot springs than mikvehs.
The only intentional Jewish experience I could have had was a visit to the Chabad of Iceland. However, they were closed that weekend for a conference. Sad!
The only accidental Jewish experience I had was an awkward encounter with Europeans who proudly said they were boycotting Eurovision because of Israel’s participation, which I wrote about in this post…
… until I visited Reykjavík’s Penis museum!
Okay, it’s officially called The Icelandic Phallological Museum. Known as the “world’s only genuine penis museum,” it boasts a collection of… erm… lower appendages from over 300 species. The only size that matters is the size of their collection!
So there I was, staring in awe and horror at animal organs of all shapes and sizes, from the mighty ram (whose thing spins at completion - woah!) to the massive sperm whale, the largest of mammals. The museum even features 22 🍆s from creatures of Icelandic folklore, such as elves, trolls, and what’s called a Christmas Lad (definitely not Jewish!).
One minute I’m looking at a mold of Jimi Hendrix’s member (quite impressive!), and the next, I’m turning a corner and I come upon my man, Maimonides. Our man.
What was the famous 12th century scholar doing in the world’s only genuine penis museum? It turns out he’s well-endowed with knowledge of the matter.
Aside from being one of the most famous Torah scholars of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides, aka the Rambam, was also a physician. He wrote some health tips for the sultan of Egypt. Here’s the very detailed sign I came upon:
That’s the long and short of it. Those poor hedgehogs! Oh, and the museum’s cafe was great, too.
On a more solemn but related note, I recently attended an interesting class about the ethics of posthumous sperm retrieval using the sperm of fallen Israeli soldiers.
This topic has become a deeply emotional and ethically complex issue during this current war. Families, especially partners and parents of fallen soldiers, are increasingly requesting to preserve their loved one’s sperm to fulfill dreams of future parenthood or continue a legacy that was suddenly cut short. In many cases, these requests come out of fresh grief and are at the request of the dead soldier’s parents.
This raises serious ethical questions: Should grieving parents or partners be allowed to make this decision without the deceased’s explicit consent? Is it right to bring a child into the world who will never meet their father? What if the parents want a child from that sperm, but the soldier’s spouse never wanted to bear children, like this older case. How should Israel handle this going forward? Many countries like the U.S. in some states and France permit this practice with written consent while the father is still alive, but what if some of these fallen soldiers are young men who might not yet be sure if they want a family? The same questions can be asked about a woman’s eggs.
In a country concerned with family legacy and where death is unfortunately all too frequent, the Knesset is passing a bill called the Use of Sperm from Deceased Person for Procreation Purposes Bill. The proposed law would allow not only a spouse, but also the parents of a deceased person—if previously authorized in writing—to request the retrieval and eventual use of sperm for procreation.
👉 Read an interesting study about this here.
What do you think about this? Comment below.
And to finish this theme strong, I recently met the Sperminator, or serial sperm donor Ari Nagel.
Shabbat Shalom to you and yours,
Wow lots of dvar Torah and biblical teachings are timeless but Maimonides was really before his time with supporting men when it comes to such a topic
Maimonides was and remains highly regarded by Jews and non-Jews, but his advice is a bit outdated. However, he was wise enough to note that "Erections differ to natural growth, but concerns the psyche and thus emotions... can be detrimental." Indeed, physical shape, age, and emotions all play a role. As Lenny Bruce...Jewish but no rabbi ...once said: "a man in his 50s is on the Jersey side of the snatch game." But if emotions are ok, and age is not an issue, then Cunard Steamship Lines' motto works: "Getting There Is Half The Fun."
In the future, there may be gender equality and there might be a vagina museum.