the Rahabad, both of whom lived south of the areas of this study and far away
from the locales of the theologians they cite—Paris, Bologna, and Köln. If we
turn to northern France and especially Germany, we find that, although
Ashkenazic Jews living in those countries attached great importance to pro-
creation, some of the writings of Jews of those countries display a more posi-
tive approach to abstinence. For example, the author of Sefer H·asidimwrites
of a h·asid who did not want to have sexual relations with his wife after the
death of a Z·addik (righteous man).^26 This source, combined with the well-
documented attitude of H·asidei Ashkenaz that encouraged avoiding women
as much as possible,^27 seems to indicate a shared approach of H·asidei Ashke-
naz and their Christian neighbors, an issue that Talya Fishman has recently
raised in other contexts.^28
These allusions to shared approaches are far from inconsequential. They
point to shared beliefs and a common mentality. In spite of these points of con-
tact, however, procreation was viewed as a central point of contention between
Jews and Christians in the medieval world. For example, in polemical debates,
it was often one of the issues discussed. In Sefer Niz·ah·on Vetus, the Jews accost
the monks and needle them on their stupidity and their concealed lustfulness.
One of the issues the Jewish disputants mention is their doubt as to the possi-
bility that anyone can live a truly celibate life. Thus in Sefer Niz·ah·on Vetus,
the Jews argue:
Ask them: If the Christian priest is supposed to take the place of the biblical priest,
why doesn’t he get married and have children like Aaron the High Priest? More-
over, the first commandment given to Adam dealt with being fruitful and multi-
plying, yet you refrain from this and instead pursue fornication and wine, which
capture your fancy.^29The book discussed this matter again in another passage, where the Christian
priests are compared to eunuchs who practice castration. They are accused of
wallowing in licentiousness in secret. The author ends that part of the argu-
ment by stating:
Furthermore it is written “Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine” (Ps. 128:3), and be-
fore that it is written, “Blessed is everyone that fears the Lord” (Ps. 128:1). Thus
we see that having children is a mark of the God-fearing man.^30In this debate, the Jew argues over the spiritual character of celibate men, and
the whole passage focuses on their decision not to marry and its consequences.
Were they to debate with married Christian neighbors, however, this argument
would not have been as powerful. Although these married Christian men
might have admitted that there was yet another, higher level of devotion that
they did not practice, nevertheless, they would have seen their bearing of chil-
dren as a way of fulfilling the word of God, much as their Jewish contempo-
raries did.