I’m a Jewish nursing student and I am doing a paper on Orthodox Jews traditions regarding health care… I read in a website that that Orthodox Jews are prohibited from being in private with a member of the opposite sex…what is the reason for that?

Actually, from my understanding, the medical establishment itself (as an example) is very much aware of the same problem that concerns Jewish law: In Ontario, at least, male doctors are not allowed to examine female patients in a room with a closed door (or without a female nurse present). There have been, over the years, countless cases of assault (or of abuse of a doctor’s social authority) that would have been avoided had there been no private meetings.

By way of an introduction to the issue, the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), section Even Haezer, chapter 22 states that “it is prohibited to seclude oneself with anyone (of the opposite sex) with whom sexual contact is forbidden – whether old or young – as this thing can contribute to sexual immorality….”

Jewish law is very conscious both of our human frailty and of our potential for greatness. In order to facilitate our steady and healthy growth, the law allows us to live full public and private lives free from the corrupting influence of unrestrained license.

With regards,
Rabbi Boruch Clinton