The Greatest Threat to Teen Purity

As some of you are aware, I was at first disturbed by negiah.org, a site I consider to be factually flawed, irresponsible, disingenuous, shrill, and um,…heavy handed. But after a closer reading, I have to concede that NCSY is the one organization brave and courageous enough to raise awareness about one of the most serious problems facing our generation. You know…handshaking! As JSU/NCSY’s Negiah.org recently noted,

“Just be aware that halacha (Jewish law) does not permit any intimate or affectionate contact between men and women who are not married to one another (or close relatives). This includes hugging, kissing and even handshakes (under normal circumstances).�

Unfortunately, on planet earth in our desensitized, hefker society, handshaking has become something so casual that most people think almost nothing of it, and shake hands like it’s a high five. It is shockingly rampant not only at many of the most “liberal� of college campuses (except for the dual curriculum ones we push on you), but is even accepted in the workplace environment.

We are not going to pretend that there won’t be pressure to engage in this “nasty� interaction. There will be. But we want you to consider the following. Not only can you catch cooties from handshaking, you can catch a cold, the flu, and worse. Gloves, of course, are not the answer, and are strongly discouraged by NCSY, even in the winter, as they only protect that part of the hand that does not touch the part of the glove that is contaminated by touch. Many people report of experiencing a handshake where the other party pressed too hard, inflicting pain. (Sounds like fun, huh?)

Now some of you may point out that it is very common for men to shake hands with each other, and therefore not an expression of sexual intimacy. Touché. Just kidding! We’re too machmir to even give you that! Same sex teens who shake hands are probably just bowing to peer pressure and don’t really want to, or are faggots. Unlike lions, snakes, and cacti, we frummies Jews can say hello without handshaking. Additionally, the overwhelming number of teens who have attempted suicide appeared to have shaken hands with someone in their lifetime.

Even in marriage, many married couples learn to deepen their relationship without shaking hands during the menses period, as difficult as that is. If fact, we know many pious couples who shake hands so infrequently, they may have go months without doing so. Of course, they have sex, they may hold hands, but they don’t shake hands. And these are couples with strong libidos.

NCSY teens kNOw It’s Okay to Say NO to Handshaking!