Is the water clean?
The water in the mikveh is very clean. It is changed frequently and disinfected when needed.
Mikvehs in Israel are under the supervision of the Ministry of Health which conducts inspections to evaluate the cleanliness of the facility and the number of bacteria in the water.
True, some mikvehs, though not many, are worn, poorly kept, or unpleasant. So, before you decide which mikveh to use, it’s worth checking that it will be comfortable and pleasant for you. You can always find someone who has been to a particular mikveh to give you feedback. Also, most mikvehs have contact information online. You can call before you go and ask about the facilities. Most major Jewish communities have more than one mikveh. In Israel, every city has several. If you are uncomfortable in the mikveh closest to your home, you can easily find a different one nearby.
How much does it cost?
There is usually a small fee to use the mikveh. It’s worth checking the amount before you go. If you can’t find out, take a small amount of cash with you. In Israel, the fee is usually between 15–40 ILS. In other countries it differs. Forgot to bring cash? No big deal. You’ll almost always be allowed to use the mikveh and give the fee to charity later on.
- Looking for a mikveh close to home? Search online for “women’s mikveh” in your area and you’ll find a list of mikvehs with their addresses, phone numbers, and operating hours.
Is it true that the mikveh attendant will nag me and make me feel uncomfortable, or speak to me disrespectfully?
Unfortunately, there are some attendants who are less gracious and make women feel uncomfortable. But most understand the importance of their role and behave generously, with courtesy. Today, there is growing awareness about the impact of the attendant’s role, and attendants constantly look to improve the quality of the service they provide. It’s important to know that the level of detail and questions that a mikveh attendant asks usually depends on the religious level of the woman who is immersing. Try to go to a mikveh in an area where the level of religiosity is similar to your own. The attendant will ask you the same questions that she asks women who live locally, and you are more likely to be comfortable.
- You can usually find out about the attendants in your local mikveh by finding someone who uses the same mikveh. And remember, you can always find another mikveh and wonderful attendants in your area.
Concerns about impurity
The desire to keep the laws of the Torah and avoid physical touch at forbidden times, requires awareness and advance preparation. For several days before menstruation begins, there is a “concern” that it may begin. Therefore, even at the beginning of those days, even before menstruation begins (if it does in fact begin), a couple must “keep a distance” between each other.
Q: Why don’t we wait until menstruation actually begins before we separate?
A: Because the state of impurity begins when even the smallest amount of blood leaves the uterus, even if it remains in the vagina and does not appear outside the body. In that situation, a couple will not know that menstruation has begun “somewhere in the uterus,” and they may not separate on time.
- In the context of Family Purity, “night” is defined as the period of time between sunset and sunrise, “day” is the period of time between sunrise and sunset. Today, you can easily find exact times for sunrise and sunset in any location by searching online.
To calculate when a period is expected, we must first know the date when the previous period began. Therefore, take careful note of the Hebrew date and day of the week each time your period starts. Note whether it began during the day or at night, and preferably note the exact time.
A glossary of terms:
To summarize and clarify, let’s go over the various “catch phrases” and concepts of Family Purity:
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- Bedikah – the internal inspection that a woman carries out to evaluate whether she is bleeding and determine its implications for the purification process.
- Hefsek Taharah – an internal inspection that a woman carries out at the end of five days of bleeding to make sure that the bleeding has stopped, and she can begin counting the seven clean days. If this examination shows that there is no blood, the woman’s technical status in Jewish law changes from a state “seeing blood” to “not seeing blood.”
- Veset – the date that a woman’s period is likely to begin. Jewish law anticipates that bleeding may be present on these days even though blood is not seen outside of the woman’s body.
- Veset Hachodesh (Monthly vesset) – a verset that is based on the Hebrew date when a woman first saw blood at the onset of her previous period.
- vessel Haflagah (Differential vesset) – a vessel that is based on the number of days between each period. The differential verset is calculated by counting the number of days between the previous two periods and applying that number to the time between a woman’s most recent period and her anticipated period.
- Chashah (doubt) – a sensation or stain during the seven clean days which, in some situations, causes doubt about a woman’s status and whether she can continue counting the seven days.
- Day – the period of time which begins at sunrise and ends at sunset.
- Night – the period of time which begins with the appearance of stars and ends at sunrise.
- Stain – a spot of blood that appears after menstruation has ended and is not accompanied by a physical sensation.
- Onah – the twenty-four-hour day is divided into halves (morning and night), each of which is called an onah.
- Separation – a precautionary “distance” that spouses observe when a woman’s status is “uncertain” because she expects her period. During the time of “separation,” couples may touch (though it is not recommended) but conjugal relations are prohibited.
- The appearance of stars – the beginning of “nighttime” is determined by the appearance of three stars. It generally occurs twenty minutes after sunset.
When a woman’s status is “uncertain”
The menstrual cycle is a regulated process and usually begins at a consistent time on a consistent day of the month. This means that we can usually predict when menstruation will begin.
What is onah?
Each twenty-four-hour day is divided into two parts: daytime and nighttime. Since we take note when menstruation begins – daytime or nighttime – we can calculate the number of onahs between a woman’s last two periods.
For example: if the difference between the two periods is 27 days, multiply 27 by 2 (because each of the 27 days contains 2 onahs – day and night), and the result is 54 onahs. If the last period began at night, preceded by 27 days and the previous period began during the day – we are left with 53 onahs between the two periods. There were not 27 full days between them, there were 27 days minus one onah.
At this point, when a woman gets her period (unless she causes her period to begin artificially), we cannot now whether there is a connection to the specific time when menstruation began.
Did it begin because the date of her regular period arrived (the Hebrew date), ie, the day when she last began her period – in which case we should “wait” for that specific calendar date a month later (this is called the monthly vesset).
Or did it begin simply because it is time for her monthly period which begins, on average, once in thirty days – in which case we should “wait” exactly thirty days after the beginning of her last period (this is called the differential veset).
Or perhaps, her period began because her period follows a cycle that is unique to her – in which case we should “wait” for her period to begin the same time it began previously.
For example: if a woman gets her period at night on the tenth of the Hebrew month, and the next month she gets her period during the day on the eighth of the month, there is a possibility that she will get her period (this is called veset haflagah).
Because we do not know why a woman’s period begins on any particular month and we anticipate that it may come at any of these three times:
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- When your period begins, note the day of the week, the Hebrew date, and the onah (day/night) it began.
- When the same Hebrew date arrives the next month, a husband and wife should keep a distance during that entire day.
- When thirty days have passed since the first day of her period, a husband and wife should keep a distance during that entire day.
- During the onah following the number of onahs that passed between the last two periods, a husband and wife should separate.
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- The first day of her first period is counted within the thirty days.
- As long as her period remains irregular, she needs to anticipate her period on each of the three days, even if she been getting her period for twenty years and has never followed any of the three patterns.
- If her period arrives before one of these three days, the next month they must separate on the three days and on the new days until the three months have passed.
Practices on the days of “uncertainty”
On the night and day when a woman anticipates her period, a couple should refrain from conjugal relations. It is also best to refrain from any kind of affectionate touch.
On a day when a woman anticipates her period, she must check that there is no blood using a bedikah cloth. If the day passes and no blood appears? The couple’s physical relationship goes back to normal. There is no need to separate any longer.
New Mothers
Mazel tov on the new birth! As this exciting and joyful time begins, so do new implications for Family Purity. From the time that labor begins (even though blood that leaves the uterus during labor is not menstrual blood) a husband and wife are prohibited from touching.
For how long?
The new mother must wait until all the bleeding from the birth has ended. Only then may count seven clean days, immerse, and return to a state of purity.
You can find more details and information about pregnancy and birth in the edition of Yahaduton entitled “Life Cycle
