Monday, September 2, 2013

Counting a day's doubtful niddah separation toward the five days

Hi,

First, a personal request: I would like to take a moment to ask everyone receiving this email feed for mechilah (forgiveness) for anything hurtful or offensive I wrote, or should have written and did not, in the past year. I know that people's sensitivities are varied, but I am not always as careful as I could be. If there was anything at all, please do let me know. I can grow by learning from my mistakes.

A couple separates from sexual contact when the wife enters a niddah state. First they separate for a period of at least five days, until the wife determines that the flow of blood has halted. After that they remain separate for an additional seven days, a period during which the wife determines that the flow of blood has not resumed at all. [Why this is so is worthy of extensive discussion, but not in a brief email.]

If a wife found a ketem that she thought might have been blood, and the couple separated out of doubt, and then she started to bleed on the following day, then the first day's separation counts toward the initial set of five days. If, however, they separated because of the original doubt, and then they determined that the ketem was not blood, then that first day's separation does not count.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Yoreh Deah 2:68)

May we be inscribed and sealed for a great year,

Mordechai

No comments:

Post a Comment