Kate calls the Dennis Prager show today: “I’m an Orthodox Jew. Us Orthodox Jews have mandatory separation [from spouses] for 12 days every month [the laws of family purity]. When I was becoming religious, I was told that this would be the key to a successful marriage. That it would be renewed every month. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That my husband wouldn’t take me for granted. What I’ve found and from speaking to my friends is that it has really been the exact opposite. That it causes a lot of tension and distance. The husbands are frustrated. The wives are frustrated. And we’re told that if it causes problems in your marriage, it’s because there’s something broken in your marriage.”
Dennis: “There are many areas of Biblical law that involve the separation of life and death to undo what ancient Egypt had where everything was death-oriented. A Jewish priest can’t visit a cemetery. He’s only involved with life. Intercourse represents life. Menstruation represents death.”
“What you say is a challenge. I’m not going to take a position on the religious observance, but you’re not nuts.”
