“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
The institution of marriage is of very ancient date. When Eve had been
formed out of the rib of Adam, and was brought to him, he exclaimed,
“She is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” and the account of the
first marriage concludes thus: “Therefore man shall leave his father
and his mother and cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh”
(Gen. ii. 24). Every married couple, husband and wife, bind themselves
by a solemn promise to be true and faithful to each other, to remain
throughout life united in love and affection, and to establish a home
founded on purity and sanctity. Adultery is the breaking of this
promise. That love and affection which unites man and wife cannot be
shared by a third person without involving a breach of the seventh
commandment.
Jewish homes have always been distinguished by sanctity and purity. In
order to retain this distinction it is necessary that we should be
trained in this virtue from our childhood. Our language must be pure
and holy; unclean and indecent expressions must never be uttered in our
homes, either by the old or by the young. The purer our speech is, the
more sanctified will our heart be. Bad society often corrupts the heart
of the young through bad example in words and conduct. It is therefore
essential that immoral persons should not come in contact with our
children; that everything that is contrary to the virtue of modesty
(צניעות) should be rigorously excluded from Jewish homes.