Halachah · Modern
A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life, Part One; The Study Guide, Chapter 1; Hilchot Niddah; Biblical and Rabbinic/מדריך להלכות טהרת המשפחה·
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1Hilchot Niddah – Biblical and Rabbinic
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2The rules of niddah appear in the Torah twice.
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3The first is in Leviticus 15:19:
דוְאִשָּׁה כִּי תִהְיֶה זָבָה דָּם יִהְיֶה זֹבָהּ בִּבְשָׂרָהּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תִּהְיֶה בְּנִידָּתָהּ וְכָל הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהּ יִטְמָא עַד הָעָרֶב.
4A woman who has a flow of blood in her body shall be a niddah for seven days, and all who touch her shall be ritually impure until sundown.
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5Although many laws of ritual impurity do not apply today after the destruction of the Temple, the prohibition of sexual contact with a niddah still does. This is partially due to the fact that the prohibition of having sexual relations with a niddah also appears in Leviticus 18:19:
ווְאֶל אִּשָּׁה בְּנִדַּת טֻמְאָתָהּ לֹא תִקְרַב לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ.
6A woman in the ritually impure state of niddah, you shall not approach for sexual relations.
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7In this source, niddah is included among forbidden sexual relationships (arayot) such as adultery and incest that remain in force at all times.
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8Niddah versus zavah
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9According to biblical law, uterine bleeding can cause a woman to assume either the status of niddah, the status of zavah, or the status of yoledet (yoledet will be discussed in Part Three, chapter 4), depending on when she bled and for how long. Niddah is the most common status, resulting from normal menses.
יוְזֶה מִשְׁפָּטָהּ: מִשֶּׁתִּרְאֶה טִיפַּת דָם אֲפִילּוּ כְּחַרְדָּל אוֹ פָחוֹת, בֵּין בְּאוֹנֶס בֵּין בְּרָצֹון, מוֹנָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים עִם יוֹם רְאִיָּיתָהּ וְטוֹבֶלֶת בְּלֵיל שְׁמִינִי. וְכָך הַדִּין: אֲפִילּוּ שׁוֹפַעַת כָּל שִׁבְעָה, רַק שֶׁתִּפְסוֹק בְּטָהֳרָה בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי קוֹדֶם בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת וּבְעֶרֶב טוֹבֶלֶת בְּלֵיל שְׁמִינִי. (טור; יורה דעה, קפג)
10A woman remains a niddah for seven days whether she bleeds for one day or the entire seven. Whenever the bleeding ceases, she ends her niddah status, according to original Torah law, immersing in the mikveh after nightfall of the seventh day – i.e., at the beginning of the eighth day.1
יאוּמִיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְאֵילָךְ עַד אֲחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם, נִקְרָאִים יְמֵי זִיבָה, וְהֵן שֶׁהַחֲכָמִים קוֹראִין לָהֶם "אֲחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם שֶׁבֵּין נִדָּה לְנִדָּה". וּמִשְׁפָּטָהּ בָּהֵן: אִם רָאֲתָה בָהֶן יוֹם אֶחָד לְבָד – בֵּין שֶׁתִּרְאֶה בִתְחִלַּת הַלַּיְלָה אוֹ בְסוֹף הַיּוֹם, רַק שֶׁתִּפְסוֹק בְּטָהֳרָה – מְשַׁמֶּרֶת כָּל הַלַּיְלָה שֶׁאַחַר כָּך. אִם לֹא תִרְאֶה, תַּשְׁכִּים לְמָחָר וְתִטְבּוֹל מִיָּד מֵאַחַר הָנֵץ הַחַמָּה, אִם תִּרְצֶה; וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם אֲסוּרָה לְשַׁמֵּשׁ כָּל הַיּוֹם שֶׁמָּא תִרְאֶה וְתִסְתּוֹר – וְזוֹ הִיא שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת "שׁוֹמֶרֶת יוֹם כְּנֶגֶד יוֹם". רָאֲתָה גַם בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וּפָסְקָה בוֹ – מַשְׁכֶּמֶת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וְטוֹבֶלֶת, וְלֹא תְשַׁמֵּשׁ כָּל הַיוֹם... וְגַם זוֹ בִכְלַל שׁוֹמֶרֶת יוֹם כְּנֶגֶד יוֹם וְזוֹ הִיא שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת "זָבָה קְטַנָּה". (טור; יורה דעה, קפג)
11On the other hand, if a woman experiences uterine bleeding during the eleven days following the seven days of niddah, she acquires the status of zavah. One or two consecutive days of bleeding make her a zavah ketanah (minor zavah), and she has to wait until the following day (and is thus described שׁוֹמֶרֶת יוֹם כְּנֶגֶד יוֹם – i.e., keeping one day in the place of the other). On that following day, if she has discovered no additional blood during the night that passed, she can go to the mikveh anytime after sunrise.
יברָאֲתָה גַם בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – נַעֲשֵׂית זָבָה גְדוֹלָה, וְלֹא תִטְהַר עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָהּ שִׁבְעָה יָמִים נְקִיִּים חוּץ מִיּוֹם שֶׁפּוֹסֶקֶת בּוֹ. וְטוֹבֶלֶת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְאַחַר הָנֵץ הַחַמָּה מִיָּד אֶלָּא שֶׁאֲסוּרָה לְשַׁמֵּשׁ שֶׁמָּא תִרְאֶה וְתִסְתּוֹר. (טור; יורה דעה, קפג)
12If the bleeding occurs on three or more consecutive days, the woman acquires the status of a zavah gedolah (major zavah), who needs to count seven blood-free days (shiva neki’im) before immersing in the mikveh.2, she continues to count seven days followed by eleven days consecutively and her status depends on which part of this cycle she experiences uterine bleeding. While the Rambam’s method of calculation fits better with certain Talmudic passages, it is more difficult to explain its practical applications.
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13The zavah ketanah can go to mikveh anytime after sunrise on her blood-free day; similarly, the zavah gedolah may immerse after sunrise on her seventh blood-free day. However, neither one can resume relations with her husband until after nightfall, because she might discover blood later the same day. If that were to happen, the entire day retroactively would not be considered blood-free.
ידעָבְרָה כָל אֲחַד עָשָׂר יָמִים וְלֹא רָאֲתָה – חוֹזֶרֶת לִתְחִלַּת יְמֵי נִדּוּת. וְאִם רָאֲתָה בָהֶם – נַעֲשָׂה זָבָה וְאֵינָה חוֹזֶרֶת לִימֵי הַנִּדּוּת עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָהּ שִׁבְעַה נְקִיִּים, וְאָז יַתְחִילוּ יְמֵי הַנִּדּוּת וְאַחֲרֵיהֶן יְמֵי הַזִּיבוּת. (טור; יורה דעה, קפג)
14Bleeding that occurs after the eleven “days of zivah” are over, renders a woman niddah. However, if she has become a zavah gedolah, she cannot revert to niddah status until seven blood-free days have passed.
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15These distinctions between niddah and zavah were of practical consequence only when these laws were observed on a biblical level. Today, a standard 11- or 12-day minimum separation period is in force, as will be explained.
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16Color of blood
יזדְבַר תּוֹרָה חֲמִשָּׁה דָמִים טְמֵאִים בְּאִשָּׁה וְתוּ לָא. (טור; יורה דעה, קפח)
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18Another stipulation of biblical law is that only five forbidden colors of blood – four shades of red plus black – render a woman niddah.3 19a lists the red of blood from a laceration, black, the red of the saffron flower, the red of water mixed with the dirt from the valley of Bet Kerem and the red of diluted wine. Already in the time of the Amoraim, however, rabbis were hesitant to distinguish between the different colors.4 20b. Thus, it became accepted practice to forbid all shades of red and black. In the words of the Tur,
יטאֲבָל הָאִידָּנָא, שֶׁנִתְמַעֵט הַבְּקִיאוּת, חָזְרוּ לְטַמְּאוֹת כָּל שֶׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ מַרְאֵה אָדוֹם, בֵּין אִם הוּא כֵּהֶה הַרְבֵּה אוֹ עָמוֹק, וְכֵן כָּל מַרְאֵה שָׁחוֹר. (טור; יורה דעה, קפח)
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20This stringency, however, can lead to problems. A woman might start counting the seven days of niddah as a result of experiencing a discharge she thought was of a forbidden color, but which was actually a permissible one. If a few days later she discovered blood of a forbidden color, she might end the seven days too early by having started to count from the initial discharge. She might become confused about whether she was in her days of niddah or her days of zivah. In the words of the Tur,
כאמִשֶּׁרָבּוּ הַגָּלִיּוֹת וְתָכְפוּ הַצָּרוֹת וְנִתְמַעֲטוּ הַלְּבָבוֹת, חָשׁוּ שֶׁמָּא יָבֹאוּ לִטְעוֹת בְאִיסוּר כָּרֵת – שֶׁמָּא תִרְאֶה אִשָּׁה בִימֵי נִדָּתָהּ שִׁשָּׁה יָמִים וְיִהְיֶה הַכָּל דָּם טוֹהַר, וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי תִרְאֶה דָם טָמֵא וּסְבוּרָה לִטְבּוֹל בְּלֵיל שְׁמִינִי וּצְרִיכָה עוֹד שִׁבְעָה יָמִים – הֶחְמִירוּ לְטַמֵּא כָל מַרְאֵה דָם אָדוֹם; וּכְדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹאוּ לִידֵי טָעוּת בֵּין יְמֵי נִּדָה וִימֵי זִיבָה, הוֹסִיפוּ חוֹמְרָא אַחַר חוּמְרָא עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ אִם לֹא תִרְאֶה אֶלָּא טִיפַּת דָּם כְּחַרְדָּל תֵּשֵׁב עָלֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִיּם כְזָבָה גְדוֹלָה. (טור; יורה דעה, קפג)