The Hebrew word ''onah'' (
Hebrew:עוֹנָה) is used in Jewish law to refer to the interval at which a husband must satisfy his wife's conjugal needs. The word also appears in the laws of
niddah.
In rabbinic Hebrew, the word literally means "due season, period, stage". In the word's only Biblical appearance (), opinions are divided whether it means "time/season" or else "dwelling together".
[Dictionary - AlHaTorah.org]
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The ''onah'' commandment
The term "" (a mitzvah
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
performed at a set time period) refers to a husband's conjugal obligations toward his wife and is also used as a halachic euphemism for marital relations.
The Biblical source for the command is , which states that if a man takes a second wife in addition to the woman he has taken as a first wife, he may not withhold from either, food, clothing or diminish the frequency with which he cohabits with the first wife. If the former wife has such rights, then it follows that all wives have at least the same degree of rights. The frequency of cohabitation (ענתה) has been translated as providing the view shelter, along with the guaranteed food and clothing. Based upon the Gemara
The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...
(Ketubot 47b), Rashi interprets this word as meaning 'Marital duty,' which can be inferred as referring to marital intercourse being a nuptial requirement.
According to the Mishnah, the frequency at which a husband must have sex with his wife (if she desires it) depend on the husband's profession: for men of independence, every day; for laborers, twice a week; for donkey-drivers, once a week; for camel-drivers, once in thirty days; for sailors, once in six months.
The commandment applies even if a wife is unable to become pregnant (e.g. infertile, old, or currently pregnant or nursing).
R. Yaakov Emden: One should ease his wife's mind and make her happy, prepare her and nurture her with words that make her happy so that she feels passionate towards him (which will be apparent in her breathing and eyes). [Marital Intimacy page 106]
In relation to ''niddah''
In the context of the laws of '' niddah,'' the word ''onah'' usually refers to a day or a night. Each 24-hour day thus consists of two ''onot'' (plural for ''onah''). The daytime onah begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. The night-time ''onah'' lasts from sunset until sunrise.
Marital relations are forbidden during one of these 12-hour periods if a woman anticipates her menstrual cycle beginning in such a period. This is called an "" (time period of separation).
The term ''onah'' can also refer to the length of the menstrual cycle. ''Halachically,'' (according to Jewish law) one assumes that the "" (or average interval), is thirty days long.
References
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