The Color of Water

by

James McBride

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Color of Water makes teaching easy.
Jewish dietary law. There are varying levels of strictness for those who keep kosher, with Orthodox Jews observing the strictest laws. Keeping kosher always requires abstaining from certain foods like pork and shellfish. The law also includes rules about keeping separate dishware for milk and meat, as well as rules regarding how to properly slaughter and prepare meat.
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The Color of Water PDF

Kosher Term Timeline in The Color of Water

The timeline below shows where the term Kosher appears in The Color of Water. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: Kosher
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...with her family provides Ruth with her first memories of Judaism. Her whole family keeps kosher, which requires different table settings for every meal and strict separation of milk and meat,... (full context)
Chapter 9: Shul
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As the local rabbi, Tateh gives Hebrew lessons, circumcises children, and kills cows in a Kosher way. Watching her father, who she already fears, butcher animals makes it hard for Ruth... (full context)
Epilogue
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Memory and Identity Theme Icon
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...former Jewish self truly did die back in the 1940s. She enjoys the wedding, eating kosher food and joking with Jewish women, but then announces that it’s time to go home.... (full context)