Contraception in Contemporary Orthodox Judaism

guilt of one who is not ‘involved’ with procreation, and 1:8, which
requires a man to have a wife who is capable of having children even
if he has already fulfilled the basic mitzvah. However, even this final
requirement is subject to the man’s means – it is not an absolute
obligation.
In summary, nowhere in mainstream halacha is there found an
obligation to father the maximum number of children one is capable
of. The only rabbinic source supporting such an obligation is the
Shealtos d’Rav Achai, whose opinion, though important, did not enter
normative halacha. The Rambam limits the requirement to remaining
capable of fathering children or possibly recommending fathering
many children as an embellishment of the basic mitzvah. The
Shulchan Aruch limits the requirement to marriage to a woman capable
of bearing children. While nobody says there is anything wrong with
fathering many children, neither is there any requirement to do so.
Regardless of any obligation to procreate, the Jewish conception both
of marriage and of sexual relations between husband and wife
certainly promotes procreation. There is widespread agreement that a
man is obligated to marry as a necessary prerequisite towards
procreation. The minimum ages recommended for marriage and the
latest age by which a man should marry are all geared around
facilitating procreation at an early age.
Furthermore, an argument could be made that the obligations of
conjugal relations promote procreation. Ovulation usually occurs
around the 14 th day after the onset of the menstrual period. The
Biblical laws of niddah required a wait of 7 days from the onset until
the woman can immerse in the mikveh. Rabbinic additions required a
wait of 7 ‘clean’ days, which can only begin after the woman is sure
the bleeding has stopped. Further rabbinic additions by Ashkenazi
authorities established that the seven clean days begin only after a