Watching Pornography

Is it allowed to watch porn?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Watching pornography is forbidden by Torah laws and not compatible with Jewish ethics and morals and it destroys the holiness of marital relations. It is equally forbidden for men and women. In fact, as we will seem it is even forbidden to watch animals engaging in sexual relations due to appropriateness and modesty concerns.

The Ramban commentary to the verse “You shall be holy...” (Lev 19:2) teaches us that the Torah’s requirement for Jews to be holy calls on us to refrain from indulging in even permissible pleasures. One such examples is over-indulging the sexual urge.

There is also the verse “You shall keep away from every evil thing.” (Deut 23:10). The Talmud in Avoda Zara 20 explains this verse to mean that “a man should not fantasize during the day and thereby come to have an emission at night.” The examples that the Talmud gives is not to stare at women or even watch animals mating. It goes without saying that watching pornography is included here. Tosfot explains that engaging in such things is a Biblical prohibition.

There are a number of additional verses and prohibitions of the Torah that are violated by watching pornography.

It is also worth noting a passage in the Shulchan Aruch, OC 307:16 that is cited in the context of what is permitted to be read on Shabbat. The Shulchan Aruch writes, “One may not read on Shabbos secular book and...and books of passion. One may not even read them during the week as well because it is a “sitting of scoffers” and because one is “removing Hashem from one’s mind.” Books of passion have an extra prohibition of arousing one’s evil inclination, and therefore the authors, the duplicators and of course the publishers cause the masses to sin.”

As such, I think it is clear that there is no room for pornography in Judaism.

As mentioned, all the above apply to women as to men.