Halachah · Modern

A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life, Part One; The Study Guide, Chapter 3; The Cessation of the Niddah Status; Counting/מדריך להלכות טהרת המשפחה·חלק א·פרק ג

1Shiva neki’im¹ as clean. Naki, however, can also mean “free of.” Therefore, we generally use “blood-free” throughout the book. This is to indicate that this is a religious state that is not related to bodily cleanliness.

2As mentioned, any woman who has uterine bleeding today needs to follow the laws of a zavah gedolah, and must count seven blood-free days before going to the mikveh.

גשִׁבְעָה יָמִים שֶׁהַזָבָה סוֹפֶרת מַתְחִילִין מִמָּחֳרַת יוֹם שֶׁפַסְקָהּ בּוֹ. (שולחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:א)

4The seven days that a zavah counts were originally counted from the day following the day that she stopped bleeding. As will be explained below, today there is usually a wait of 4 or 5 days from the onset of bleeding until she begins counting.

5Hefsek taharah

ווְכָּךְ מִשְׁפָּטָהּ, אִם תִרְאֶה שְׁנֵי יָמִים אוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה וּפָסְקָה מִלִרְאוֹת, בּוֹדֶקֶת בַּיּוֹם שֶׁפַסְקָה כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּפְסוֹק בְּטָהֳרָה. (שולחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:א)

7Since a woman cannot begin counting as long as blood exits the uterus, she has to do an internal examination in order to be sure that she has in fact stopped bleeding. This is called a hefsek taharah – literally, that she has stopped bleeding and thus can become tehorah, ritually pure.

חוּמִנְהָג כָּשֵׁר הוּא: כְּשֶׁהָאִשָּׁה פּוֹסֶקֶת בְּטָהֳרָה, שֶׁתִּרְחַץ וְלוֹבֶשֶׁת לְבָנִים; אֳמְנָם אִם לֹא רָחֲצָה רַק פָּנֶיהָ שֶׁל מַטָּה, דַּי בְּכָךְ, וְכֵן נוֹהֲגִין וְאֵין לְשַׁנּוֹת. (רמא; יורה דעה, קצו:ג)

9Prior to doing the hefsek taharah, a woman should clean the external vaginal area. Ideally, she should first take a bath, as this will remove all old blood. If this is not possible, it is sufficient to wipe the external vaginal area with a wet cloth or a baby wipe. If this too is impossible, but the exam in any event shows no problematic stains, the hefsek taharah still counts and she can commence the shiva neki’im, the seven blood-free days, the following day.

10The hefsek taharah is the most important of all internal examinations. When this type of internal examination is done at other times, it is known as a bedikah (bedikot, plural).

יא

11These internal examinations are performed as follows:

יבכָּל בְּדִיקוֹת אֵלּוּ – בֵּין בְּדִיקַת הֶפְסֵק טָהֳרָה, בֵּין בְּדִיקַת כָּל הַשִּׁבְעָה – צְרִיכוֹת לִהְיוֹת בְּבֶגֶד פִּשְׁתָּן לָבָן יָשָׁן אוֹ בְצֶמֶר גֶּפֶן אוֹ בְצֶמֶר לָבָן נָקִי וָרַךְ. וְתַכְנִיסֶנּוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם בְּעוֹמֶק לְחוֹרִים וְלִסְדָקִים עַד מְקוֹם שֶׁהַשַּׁמָּשׁ דָּשׁ, וְתִרְאֶה אִם יֵשׁ בּוֹ שׁוּם מַרְאֵה אַדְמוּמִית – וְלֹא שֶׁתַכְנִיסֵהוּ מְעַט לְקַנֵּחַ עַצְמָהּ. (שולחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:ו)

יג

13She takes a white pre-checked soft cotton cloth,² should be checked first for any preexisting stains, threads, etc. wraps it around her finger³ and inserts it deeply⁴ and for one of the bedikot during the 7 days, preferably the first. However, if this is painful she should not concentrate on going deeply but rather ensure that she has gone around the vagina circumferentially (see Shulchan Aruch YD 196:6 and Rema there). but GENTLY into the vaginal canal.⁵ around the world and also in many pharmacies and supermarkets in Israel. They can be ordered over the internet via www.mikvah.org. Women can prepare these cloths themselves by cutting up well washed white cotton underwear. She then

יד

14moves her finger circumferentially around the vaginal canal, GENTLY touching the sides, being careful to enter the crevices of the vaginal canal (chorim usdakim).⁶ is quite similar to learning how to use a tampon. It helps to relax and try a number of positions, such as one foot raised on the edge of the toilet or bathtub, sitting on the toilet with legs apart, or squatting. If the bedikah is painful, she should consult an authority about using a lubricant such as KY Jelly. Petroleum jelly (“Vaseline”), is not recommended, as it prevents the cloth from absorbing any blood that may be present. Some authorities permit the use of petroleum jelly a few hours prior to the exam. KY Jelly, however, is water soluble, so this is less of a problem. Nevertheless, some rabbis feel that it changes the color of the stain that might be found on the bedikah. Wetting the cloth slightly may make the exam more comfortable. However, if the cloth is very wet, this will prevent absorption of any blood that is present. She then withdraws the cloth and checks it in a good light. If all discharge on the cloth is white, clear, or light yellow her bleeding is assumed to have stopped, and she can count the NEXT day as the first of her seven blood-free days. If it is obviously red, she will need to try again later.⁷ If it is any other color, she should arrange to have it shown to a rabbinical authority, as other colors may in fact be acceptable.

טווּבְּדִיקָה זוֹ תִּהְיֶה סָמוּך לְבֵין הַשְׁמָשוֹת. (שולחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:א)

טזוְכֵן נוֹהֲגִין לְכַתְּחִלָּה; וּבְדִיְעֲבַד, אֲפִילּוּ לֹא בָדְקָה עַצְמָהּ רַק שַׁחֲרִית וְמָצְאָה עַצְמָהּ טְהוֹרָה, סַגֵּי [דַי] בְכָךְ. (רמא; שם)

יז

17The hefsek taharah must be done during the daylight hours, defined as between halachic sunrise and halachic sunset.⁸ Ideally, it is done in the late afternoon⁹ before sunset, but when necessary, it can be done in the morning. Busy women who have a tendency to forget (especially on short winter afternoons), and don’t find these exams painful or troublesome, should do one in the morning and another in the afternoon. In this way they have a “backup” in case of forgetting. If a woman missed sunset by a few minutes she should consult a rabbi.

יח

18On erev Shabbat she should check before candlelighting. If the community starts Shabbat early, she should also check prior to candelighting. However, in either case, as long as she checks before sunset, the exam is valid.

יט

19Moch dachuk

כלְעוֹלָם יְלַמֵּד אָדָם בְּתוֹך בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁתְּהֵא בוֹדֶקֶת בְּיוֹם הֶפְסֵק טָהֳרָתָהּ בְּמוֹךְ דָּחוּק וְשֶׁיְּהֵא שָׁם כָּל בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, שֶׁזּוֹ בְּדִיקָה מוֹצִיאָה מִידֵי כָּל סָפֵק. (שולחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:א)

כארָאֲתָה יוֹם אֶחָד בִּלְבָד וּפָסְקָה בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם, צְרִיכָה לִבְדוֹק עַצְמָהּ בְּמוֹךְ דָּחוּק וְשֶׁיְּהֵא שָׁם כָּל בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת. (שלחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:ב)

כבהרמא מוסיף:

כגלְהַחְמִיר לְכַתְּחִלָּה [לעשות מוך דחוק]

כדוּבְדִיְעֲבַד, אִם בָּדְקָה עַצְמָהּ סָמוּך לְבֵין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת וּמָצְאָה עַצְמָהּ טְהוֹרָה –אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹא הָיְתָה הַמּוֹך אֶצְלָהּ כָּל בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת – סַגִּי; אֲבָל בְּדִיקַת שַׁחֲרִית לֹא מְהַנֵּי [מוֹעִיל], הוֹאִיל וְלֹא רָאֲתָה רַק יוֹם אֶחָד. (רמא; שם)

כה

25While the purpose of the hefsek taharah is to demonstrate that all bleeding has ceased, there is still room for doubt that perhaps some bleeding from the uterus into the vagina occurred afterwards. Therefore, the custom of a moch dachuk – literally, closely packed wadding – has evolved. This involves filling the vaginal canal with a cloth starting from sunset and ending after nightfall. In Israel, this is generally about 20 minutes; in some communities outside Israel, it is longer. A local halachic authority may be consulted. This is generally done by taking a bedikah cloth¹⁰ cloths. and inserting it into the vaginal canal. Some authorities permit the use of a tampon for this purpose. It is a good idea to sit or lie down during this period, to prevent irritation of the vaginal wall that can cause stains from vaginal rather than uterine blood. Women who find this exam uncomfortable should consult an authority. Similarly, during times when her vaginal lining is sensitive, such as after childbirth, she should consult a rabbi to determine whether the moch is necessary. If she performed a hefsek taharah but forgot the moch, the hefsek taharah is still valid and she can count the next day as the first of the shiva neki’im.¹¹ (an open fountain) which makes a moch dachuk mandatory. Some authorities are similarly concerned about any day on which she earlier saw blood.

כו

26Wearing white

כזבְּיוֹם שֶׁפָּסְקָה מִלִּרְאוֹת וּבוֹדֶקֶת עַצְמָהּ כָּאָמוּר, תִּלְבַּשׁ חָלוּק הַבָּדוּק לָהּ שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ כֶּתֶם, וּבַלַּיְלָה תָּשִׂים סְדִינִים הַבְּדוּקִים מִכְּתָמִים, וּמִיּוֹם הַמָּחֳרָת תַּתְחִיל לִסְפּוֹר שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִּים. (שלחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:ג)

כחאֲבָל בִּשְׁעַת הַדְּחָק, כְגוֹן אִשָּׁה הַהוֹלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶך וְאֵין לָהּ בְּגָדִים, תּוּכַל לִסְפּוֹר שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִּים – רַק שֶׁהַחָלוּק יִהְיֶה נָקִי וּבָדוּק מִדָּם. (רמא; שם)

כט

29After a woman does the hefsek taharah, she needs to determine that for the next seven days she has no more bleeding. For this purpose, women wore clothes that were pre-checked to be stain-free and used stain-free sheets so that any new stain would be immediately apparent. Later, the custom evolved to use white linens and hence these seven blood-free days are also known as יְמֵי לִיבוּנָהּ or her “white days.” Now that women wear form-fitting underpants, many authorities rule that white underwear is sufficient without the need for white clothes or white sheets, as long as she sleeps with undergarments.¹² and will soon go to the mikveh. The custom of using white underwear during these days has become widely accepted. However, if she has none available, she does not need to postpone counting the seven blood-free days, but she should wear other pre-checked clean colored underwear until white is available.¹³ she can change to colored. Thus, she can change into colored underwear prior to going to the mikveh late that night, or if she can’t get to the mikveh until the following evening; for example, when her mikveh night is Friday night and there is no mikveh within walking distance.

30Bedikot (internal exams)

לאבְּכָל יוֹם מִשִּׁבְעָה יְמֵי הַסְּפִירָה, צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת בּוֹדֶקֶת לְכַתְּחִלָּה פַּעֲמַיִם בְּכָל יוֹם – אַחַת שַׁחֲרִית וְאַחַת סָמוּךְ לְבֵין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת. (שלחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:ד)

לב

32On each of the seven days (which she begins to count from the day AFTER the hefsek), she needs to be certain that she remains blood-free. This is done by internal examinations as described for the hefsek taharah. Ideally, she should do two exams per day, one in the morning after sunrise¹⁴ and one in the afternoon before sunset.¹⁵ done after sundown cannot count towards the day that ended at sunset. However, it can count, if needed, towards a bedikah of the next day. However, if the exams are painful, uncomfortable, or cause her to feel that she is irritating herself, she should consult a rabbi as to how to reduce the number. If on any day she missed one of the two exams for any reason, e.g., forgetting, being in a place where she could not do the exam, she should continue to check the next day as usual. If she missed both examinations on one day in the middle of her shiva neki’im (days 2-6), she should continue to check the next day as usual. However, if she missed both examinations on day one or day seven, she will need to delay her immersion and should consult a rabbi as to how to proceed. Fortunately, these days are relatively easy to remember: day one is the day after the hefsek taharah, and she will immerse in the mikveh the night after completing day seven.

לג

33Minimum days prior to starting shiva neki’im

לד

34The reason for the waiting period before the start of the seven blood-free days, is as follows:

לההַפּוֹלֶטֶת שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע בִּימֵי סְפִירָתָהּ – אִם הוּא תוֹך שֵׁשׁ עוֹנוֹת לְשִׁמּוּשָׁהּ, סוֹתֶרֶת אוֹתוֹ יוֹם. לְפִיכָךְ; הַמְּשַׁמֶּשֶׁת מִטָּתָהּ וְרָאֲתָה אַחַר כָּך וּפָסְקָה, אֵינָה מַתְחֶלֶת לִסְפּוֹר שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִּים עַד שֶׁיַּעֲבְרוּ עָלֶיהָ שֵׁשׁ עוֹנוֹת שְׁלֵימוֹת שֶׁמָּא תִפְלוֹט; לְפִיכָךְ, אֵינָה מַתְחֶלֶת לִסְפּוֹר עַד יוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי לְשִׁמּוּשָׁהּ: כְּגוֹן, אִם שִׁמְּשָׁה בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת, אֵינָה מַתְחֶלֶת לִסְפּוֹר עַד יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי, דְּקַיְימָא לַן אֵין שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע מַסְרִיחַ עַד שֶׁיַּעַבְרוּ עָלָיו שֵׁשׁ עוֹנוֹת שְׁלֵימוֹת מֵעֵת לְעֵת. וְאִם שִׁמְּשָׁה בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת, וּפָלְטָה לֵיל רְבִיעִי קוֹדֶם עֵת שִׁימּוּשָׁהּ בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת – עֲדַיִין הִיא עוֹמֶדֶת בְּתוֹך עוֹנָה שִׁשִּׁית לְשִׁמּוּשָׁהּ וְסוֹתֶרֶת, הִילְכָּךְ יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי יִהְיֶה רִאשוֹן לְסְפִירָתָהּ. (שלחן ערוך; יורה דעה, קצו:יא)

לו

36As explained in the Shulchan Aruch, the day on which a woman expels viable semen from her body cannot be counted as one of the seven blood-free days. Halachically, semen is considered viable for 72 hours.¹⁶ After that point even if it is expelled, it is of no halachic consequence.

לז

37A woman might not be aware that she is expelling semen, and thus invalidate one of her seven blood-free days without realizing it. (This could happen if she had intercourse just before the onset of niddah, had only one or two days of bleeding, and immediately performed a hefsek taharah.) Therefore, she needs to wait for 72 hours from the time she had intercourse until she begins to count.¹⁷

לח

38The Rema, however, outlines the Ashkenazi custom:

לטוְיֵשׁ שֶׁכָּתְבוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהַמְתִּין עוֹד יוֹם אֶחָד, דְּהַיְינוּ, שֶׁלֹּא תַּתְחִיל לִמְנוֹת עַד יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי וְהוּא יִהְיֶה יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן לְסְפִירָתָהּ, דְּחָיְישִׁינַן שֶׁמָּא תְשַׁמֵּשׁ בָּיּוֹם הַרִאשׁוֹן בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת וְתִסְבּוֹר שֶׁהוּא יוֹם, וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהוּא לַיְלָה; וְאִם תַּתְחִיל לִמְנוֹת מִיּוֹם חֲמִישִׁי, יִהְיֶה תוֹךְ שֵׁשׁ עוֹנוֹת לְשִׁמּוּשָׁהּ. עַל כֵּן יֵשׁ לְהוֹסִיף עוֹד יוֹם אֶחָד, דְּמֵעַתָּה אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָבֹא לִידֵי טָעוּת; וְכֵן נוֹהֲגִין בְּכָל מְדִינוֹת אֵלּוּ, וְאֵין לְשַׁנּוֹת. (רמא; יורה דעה, קצו:יא)