# Questions about sex and Judaism **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301 "2004-11-12T00:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/21 "2004-11-12T15:27:29Z")
AFAIK the only days a religious Jewish couple should not have sex would be during the woman’s menstrual period and on Yom Kippur. There may also be some restrictions during pregnancy and post-natal time but I’m not familiar with those. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/22 "2004-11-12T15:30:40Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > AFAIK the only days a religious Jewish couple should not have sex would be during the woman’s menstrual period and on Yom Kippur. Add to that Tisha B’Av and the week after her menstrual period until she goes to the _Mikvah_. > [@](#): > > There may also be some restrictions during pregnancy and post-natal time but I’m not familiar with those. During pregnancy there are no restrictions as long as there is no bleeding. Post-natally, the couple must abstain until a week after she stops bleeding and goes to the _Mikvah_. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/23 "2004-11-12T15:33:20Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > **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 This story made an appearance on a morning radio show just this week. A guy claiming to be Orthodox called in and confirmed “it was only true for Chasidim, not for all Orthodox.” Not that I’m saying it’s true, but it’s interesting that the Snopes article doesn’t mention Chasidim specifically. Unfortunately, I couldn’t call in before they signed off, so another battle lost to ignorance. ☹ ---
**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:** [November 12, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/24 "2004-11-12T15:36:28Z")
> [@av8rmike](#): > > This story made an appearance on a morning radio show just this week. A guy claiming to be Orthodox called in and confirmed “it was only true for Chasidim, not for all Orthodox.” Not that I’m saying it’s true, but it’s interesting that the Snopes article doesn’t mention Chasidim specifically. Unfortunately, I couldn’t call in before they signed off, so another battle lost to ignorance. ☹ I’m not Chassidic, nor do I ask anyone what goes on in the bedrooms of the Chassidim that I do know, so I can’t state this with 100% certainty; but I have my doubts as to the accuracy of that as well. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/25 "2004-11-12T17:22:05Z")
> [@Hadrian0117](#): > > So did Monica violate Jewish dietary law? No. Although President Clinton taught at the University of Arkansas and rooted for the team, he did not _matriculate_ there. –Cliffy P.S. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/26 "2004-11-12T18:32:40Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > 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… No, you weren’t the only one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/27 "2004-11-12T18:41:56Z")
> [@Coil](#): > > Is there a list somewhere of the requirements for different professions? I’m not jewish but it could be useful to know anyway. I haven’t found a site with this in list form, but [here’s the tractate of Talmud](http://www.come-and-hear.com/kethuboth/kethuboth_62.html) that those requirements are mentioned in. > [@Coil](#): > > doubt that modern professions like economists are on the list but it should be possible to come up with equivalents. Economist=Ass Driver? I think about this a lot, too. Haven’t seen anything that tries to come up with modern equivalents, though. > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > 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. It’s in the Talmud, so you won’t find it even in a proper Torah. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/28 "2004-11-12T18:45:25Z")
How did this thread get this far without the use of the little happy Jewish smilie? ;j ;j ;j There, that’s better. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/29 "2004-11-12T18:46:48Z")
Back when I lived with my parents, I noticed a new book on our shelves Boychiks In The Hood-Travels In The Chasidic Underground. I flipped through it and found a section adressing the sheet myth. The author asks if it’s true and what their attitudes about sex are. The men, a few of whom are rabbis, deny that the myth has any truth to it. One says “Our business is to give our wives pleasure!” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/30 "2004-11-12T19:18:27Z")
I’ve heard the “sex through a hole in the sheet” story in connection with Mormons as well. So I don’t think it’s an exclusively “Orthodox Jew” stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/31 "2004-11-12T20:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > I think about this a lot, too. Haven’t seen anything that tries to come up with modern equivalents, though. Well, a teamster would likely be the modern equivalent of an ass-driver. The rule estimates how often and for how long the husband’s job is likely to keep him away from home. For most modern desk professions, that’s likely to be not at all. One of the points of that passage of Talmud is that if a husband changes occupations from one that would keep him home (and her sexually satisfied) more to one that would be less to this advantage of hers, it is grounds for divorce. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/32 "2004-11-12T20:55:52Z")
I seem to recall hearing long ago that this was suggested for Catholics by Saint Augustine. No idea if that’s true, of course. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/33 "2004-11-12T21:23:40Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’ve heard the “sex through a hole in the sheet” story in connection with Mormons as well. > > So I don’t think it’s an exclusively “Orthodox Jew” stereotype. I’ve heard this rumor about Catholics and it was played up in the movie _Like Water for Chocolate_. I think it’s one of those convenient hey-look-at-the-weirdoes things to say about any despised group. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/34 "2004-11-12T22:27:01Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’ve heard the “sex through a hole in the sheet” story in connection with Mormons as well. > > So I don’t think it’s an exclusively “Orthodox Jew” stereotype. Hum, I’ve never heard that one (about anybody, actually); I thought by now I’d run into most of the silly stories about us. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/35 "2004-11-12T23:07:25Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > I haven’t found a site with this in list form, but [here’s the tractate of Talmud](http://www.come-and-hear.com/kethuboth/kethuboth_62.html) that those requirements are mentioned in. That tracate of Talmud is discussing _Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch)_, Chapter CL, para. 7. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/36 "2004-11-12T23:18:11Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > 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 Thanks, **zev** , and **adirondack\_mike** too. I also thought it sounded fishy. I’ve heard the myth from many sources, but a friend of mine in the Navy, a Jew, insisted it were true. Very Funny, Joe (from Brooklyn, I shudda known). :rolleyes: If there’s one stereotype about Jews that’s warranted, it’s their love of a joke. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/37 "2004-11-12T23:31:11Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > 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. As this “fallen” catholic remembers it, catholic sex is also for fun and enjoyment, but sometimes children are a wonderful blessing that comes (oops!) out of all this frolicking, and shouldn’t be avoided. Do they still have “The Rhythm Method?” But yes, doing oneself is a big no-no. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301/38 "2004-11-12T23:51:50Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > Add to that Tisha B’Av and the week after her menstrual period until she goes to the _Mikvah_. > > During pregnancy there are no restrictions as long as there is no bleeding. Post-natally, the couple must abstain until a week after she stops bleeding and goes to the _Mikvah_. > > Zev Steinhardt Ihere’s something in this reply that has piqued a long-held curiosity of mine, but I’ll start another thread rather than sidetrack this one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-judaism/274301.md?page=1)