Specific question: if you are an observant Jew, is it OK to have sex on the Sabbath?
General question: my perception, as a religious ignoramus, is that the Jewish religion is less uptight about sex than the Christian religion. It seems that many Christians believe sex is something dirty, something to be ashamed of. I have never detected that in Judaism. Am I accurate in this assessment? Just curious to hear opinions.
Is it just me, or do you smell an impending avalanche of Jewish sex jokes?
Yes, as long as you are married and having sex with your spouse. In fact, tradition encourages you to do so.
Yeah, opinions. 
This’ll likely get moved to IMHO.
But yeah, Jews are allowed to have sex on the Sabbath. So I’ve been told.
And to the opinion part of your question;
A Jewish woman gets to kick the hubby to the curb if he doesn’t satisfy her sexually. Whether or not that’s uptight, I don’t know. Prolly not. There are some aspects of sex considered by jews to be dirty. Being naked is one. Homosexuality. Certain positions.
Enjoy your visit. 
Peace,
mangeorge
So did Monica violate Jewish dietary law?
From Heeb Magazine’s “Guilt” Issue (Summer, 2004)- a sidebar entitled "Guilt through the ages:
aleph:
Not only is it “OK”, it’s optimal. One is supposed to make the Sabbath pleasurable, in food, in comfort and in sex as well.
Yes, you’re accurate. Judaism doesn’t consider sex to be dirty, they consider it to be holy. But importantly, holy things outside their proper place and time are sinful. Anyone who ate of a sacrificial offering outside the Temple (or the city of Jerusalem, for lesser offerings), or ate of it after its appointed time, or ate of it while in a state of ritual impurity, and similar offenses, was punished quite severely. So Judaism is indeed strict about sex in many ways, but not from a “dirty” angle.
Hadrian0017:
Well, Bill certainly acted like a pig…
cmkeller, please address the issue of the “hole in the blanket”, or as it was told to me, Jews must leave their clothes on even while making love.
Peace,
mangeorge
I had heard this years ago and it smelled kind of fishy.
I’m not Chaim, but I can answer this one anyway.
It’s a myth.
We make love nude just like everyone else. As for the origin of the myth, I had always believed it to be related to the tallis katan, as the Snopes link mentioned.
Zev Steinhardt
Tradition encourages you to have sex with your spouse? Who woulda thunk it?
True. There’s actually (in the Talmud, I think) something saying how many times a week men in certain professions are required to sleep with their wives. A camel driver is required to sleep with his wife once every thirty days, an ass driver is required to sleep with her once a week (several other professions are mentioned, too). If he doesn’t live up to his obligation, it’s grounds for divorce. If a man wants to change jobs to one where he’s required to sleep with his wife less often, she has veto power over the decision.
By the way, in case anyone is interested, “Nishtemesdikker” is Yiddish for “something not true”.
nisht-not
emes-truth
dik-having the trait of
According to my rabbi from Hebrew school (which means he could’ve just pulled this out of his ass), a Jewish man and woman are not technically married until they excuse themselves after the ceremony and, as he tactfully put it, “Achieve a new level of intimacy.”
Also…c’mon, was I the only one who giggled at being told how often an “ass driver” has to sleep with his wife?
'cuz I’m mature…
Hmm. As a brief aside, I have the contrary impression: viz., that orthodox Christians (at least the brand I’ve met) get in trouble for being too pro sex.
Orthodox Jews and conservative Christians (I mostly know R.C. types) have similar ethos-es (is that a valid plural)? Don’t do it before marriage. Do it, lots, after marriage.
This is actually where the controversial Catholic prohibition on birth control comes from: to grossly paraphrase Humanae Vitae, sex is good, because G_d (in deference to our Jewish readers) gave it to us, for having kids); you should have lots and lots of it; but it’s so good, you shouldn’t waste it on “empty” sex unrelated to your procreative project as a couple; so, as fulfilling as sex can be, you should voluntarily abstain from those acts that aren’t open to procreation.
Similar to the Catholic attitude toward many other things they deprive themselves of: “Why don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent? Because it’s unclean? Hell no! Because it’s so good! – and we’re trying to discipline our indulgence in the Good Things!”
Fact is, I’d wager Christian doctrine has even fewer “taboos” or anti-sex rules than orthodox Judaism. Catholocism, for instance, just doesn’t have a concept of ritual uncleanliness. A Catholic can shake hands with a female stranger without fear of being polluted because she’s “off the sports list” this week. An orthodox Jew (as with several of my colleagues) – no.
Is there a list somewhere of the requirements for different professions? I’m not jewish but it could be useful to know anyway.
I doubt that modern professions like economists are on the list but it should be possible to come up with equivalents. Economist=Ass Driver?
Make sure you look in a proper Torah, because the “Old Testament” version prepared by Protestants tend to have all the “dirty” bits censored out. Plus they replace all references to “wine” with “grape juice”.
Okay, I’m kidding. A little.
Assuming Catholicism says that sex should only be used for procreation (as Huerta comments), I should add that traditional Judaism says no such thing. Sex is there for fun and enjoyment, too.
Catholicism reads the story of Onan and concludes that masturbation is a deadly sin. Judaism reads the story of Onan and concludes that disobedience to God is a deadly sin.
Recent Catholic teaching is that sex is for procreation, but also for bonding between a husband and wife. You still can’t do anything to prevent pregancy, excluding using the rhythm method (and possibly the more modern equivalents of it). Also, oral or anal sex is taboo.
That is incorrect.
It is true that immediately after the wedding ceremony the bride and groom are secluded together. This is done to create the presumption of intimacy (whether or not it has actually occured). But the couple is fully married even before this (i.e., if she were to sleep with someone else before her groom, she is fully guilty of adultery; if one were to die [God forbid] the other would sit shiva, etc.).
Zev Steinhardt