[April23754]

I recently heard the following about a friend who became an Orthodox Jew before her wedding: Reportedly, she is unable to sleep in the same bed as her husband while menstruating, bought a wig to cover her natural hair and is not permitted to dine in her parents’ home because the plates, food, etc., have not been blessed. Is there any truth to what I’ve heard?
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Name : April23754, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Tallahassee, State : FL, Country : United States, 

[Al]

The true answer to your question lies in the two words of the subject heading: JEWISH TRADITIONS. Jewish is NOT a religion, it is a culture, and as such has derived its cultural practices from a blend of scripture (old testament), personal preferences, varied opinions of religious leaders over the centuries, and plain old copycat of other eastern and asian cultures. Tradition is exactly that……the habitual custom and practice of certain physical acts or mental attitudes that reflect one’s culture and morality. The Judaism and jewish culture that is claimed by present-day jewish people (more properly called Hebrews), bears absolutely NO resemblance to that which was commanded by GOD to Moses in the desert. Over the centuries, the absolutes of God’s laws have been adjusted, corrected, disavowed, and generally completely messed up by jewish leaders and teachers who tried to secure a place in history for themselves by pretending to communicate ‘newer’ truths. This, by the way, seems to happen in all religious communities, not only the Hebraic. Although there are scriptural injunctions against a woman who is undergoing her monthly cycle from having sexual contact with her husband, these are STRICTLY old testament – pre- Jesus. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ did away with the curse and penalties of Judaic law (of course, Jewish people do not accept the death of Jesus as being spiritually important, so they will affirm that all their laws still stand). The same response holds true for shaving of a married woman’s head (and using her hair to make a wig), and the prohibition from eating anywhere that does not follow the Judaic laws of cleanliness (being Kosher). All of the above are dealt with in the New Testament. BOTTOM LINE: when God first gave these oral commandments to Moses, they had meaningful reasoning behind them, and were part of the mainstay of the Hebrews – they worshipped and obeyed their God and He continually blessed them. Since the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God and Saviour (of everyone- -Jew and gentile alike), these sundry commands and dictates (approx. 600 of them) have been superseded by the Grace of God, and His forgiveness through Jesus. (the writer was raised in semi-orthodox Judasim, and chose to convert to Christianity)

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Name : Al, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 49, City : Ottawa (Ontario), State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : audio engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Karen]

Women who are menstruating are considered ritually unclean in many cultures, including most of the Middle East, where Judaism has its roots. No one knew what was occurring at that time; all they knew was that, for some inexplicable reason, women would bleed, and there would not be a visible wound. After the menstrual cycle is completed, women visit the mikvah, or ritual bath, to cleanse themselves. Until that happens, anyone they touch – specifically, adult males – also become ritually unclean and must also visit the mikvah.

Wearing a wig is a sign of modesty – only a woman’s immediate family is supposed to see her bare head. This is more of an Hasidic custom than pure Orthodox Judaism. The Hasidim are a sect of Judaism that came from central Europe, and habitually the men wear dark suits with white shirts and no ties, and the women wear dresses below their elbows and knees. Both genders keep their heads covered to respect G-d.

Your last question involves kashrut, the kosher laws. If your friend’s parents do not keep a kosher home, then none of the food or utensils there are kosher, either. This affects mainly meat and dairy products; fresh fruit and vegetables that have not touched any utensils in the home are still kosher, as are any packaged goods with the appropriate markings (K, P and U are the most common). She can eat in their home, but only if the food is kosher, and only touched by disposable utensils that have not been used for any other purpose. This includes all forms of cookware.

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Name : Karen, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 33, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Larry-Hill22950]

Jews do not bless stuff, like plates or food. Blessings are said for God over things like bread and wine, but the things themselves are not blessed. Kosher rules require meat and dairy to be seperated. Anything that touches meat can not touch dairy and vice versa. If a utensil touches both meat and dairy, it can not be used for any food unless it is cleaned by scalding. Unless someone keeps a kosher house, no utensil can be considered to be kosher, and any kosher food that touches an un-kosher utensil becomes un-kosher (treif).

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Name : Larry-Hill22950, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, City : Huntington Beach, State : CA, Country : United States, 

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