# How critical is keeping Kosher in diet to being a good Jew? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260 "2004-03-30T06:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/21 "2004-04-02T14:45:14Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > Sincere repentence has the following components: > > (1) Regret for having done the sin > (2) Verbal confession of the sin (to God) > (3) Resolving not to commit that sin again > (4) (Assuming the sin was against a fellow man) Making restitution and/or asking forgivness. > > #4 doesn’t apply in this case. However, you would still need #1 - 3. unless it was Long Pork … I always figured the restriction against eating pork was to cut out cannibalisim. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/22 "2004-04-02T16:43:46Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > No. Having sex with one’s wife during her menstruation is a sin. However, the method of repentence for this sin is the same as for any other. Simply follow the steps I outlined above. I think he may **DrDeth** may be thinking of the imersion in a _mikvah_ following her period. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/23 "2004-04-02T17:03:40Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > I think he may **DrDeth** may be thinking of the imersion in a _mikvah_ following her period. I don’t think so for two reasons: (1) The concept that a woman having her period is sinful is ludicrous. (2) She goes to the _mikvah_ afterwards whether or not she’s had relations during that time period. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/24 "2004-04-02T19:36:46Z")
Iwas thinking of some sort of “bath”? which needs to be rainwater? and has to do with a womans period. Not that having a period is sinful, I knew that, but I knew it was a sin to have sex then. So- this _“mikva”_ "purifies’ the woman after her period- so then sex is OK? And the \*“kashering” \* the _dishes_ so that eating off them isn’t a sin? 😕 ;j ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/25 "2004-04-02T19:54:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Iwas thinking of some sort of “bath”? which needs to be rainwater? and has to do with a womans period. Not that having a period is sinful, I knew that, but I knew it was a sin to have sex then. > > So- this _“mikva”_ "purifies’ the woman after her period- so then sex is OK? “Purifies” is really a bad word to use in this instance, but since I don’t have a better one, I suppose it will have to do. In short, under Jewish law, from the onset of a woman’s period until seven days afterwards, one may not have intimate relations with one’s wife. After seven clean (non-bleeding) days, the woman immerses in the _mikva_ whereupon relations are permitted again until the onset of the next period. > [@](#): > > And the \*“kashering” \* the _dishes_ so that eating off them isn’t a sin? 😕 ;j As I stated above, using non-kosher dishes may result in traces of non-kosher food being imparted to the kosher food on the plate, rendering it non-kosher. _Kashering_ dishes removes the trace non-kosher food from them. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260/26 "2004-04-02T21:39:23Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > I don’t think so for two reasons: > > (1) The concept that a woman having her period is sinful is ludicrous. > (2) She goes to the _mikvah_ afterwards whether or not she’s had relations during that time period. Understood, but I thought, apparently correctly, that he was confusing two different issues. As you said, a woman’s monthly _mikvah_ visit isn’t about removing sin, but hearing about a “ritual cleansing” apparently caused **DrDeth** ’s confusion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-critical-is-keeping-kosher-in-diet-to-being-a-good-jew/237260.md?page=1)