Stage One – Waiting Five Days
In order to begin the purification process, you must wait five days from the time that bleeding began. If bleeding stopped after fewer than five days, the purification process will still begin only at sunset at the end of the fifth day as detailed below.
Counting the Days
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- Make a note of when your period started (note the date and time).
- The first day of your period is considered the first of the five days.
- Even if your period began at the end of the fifth day (close to sunset), it is still considered the first of the five days.
- It doesn’t matter whether the period was short or whether it lasted the full five days, you must still count five days.
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- Day = begins at sunrise and ends at sunset
- The exact time of sunrise and sunset are important for the process of purification. These times differ from day to day depending on your location and the time of year. You can check the exact times for any location at www.chabad.org.il.
When a woman’s period begins, she is called “niddah” from the Hebrew word “nedidah” (literally, to move from place to place) because she moves away from a place of physical contact with her husband. “Niddah” describes a physical and spiritual state which has consequences for a couple’s physical relationship alone. It is a time to invest in their spiritual connection, in the spiritual aspect of their relationship.
Stage Two – Seven Clean Days
After five days, if the period has in fact stopped, you can begin the next stage in the path to ritual purity – a process that takes seven days in which a woman confirms that her body is no emitting menstrual blood. These seven days are called the “Seven Clean Days.”
- If your period has not stopped after five days, you must wait until the day that it finishes completely, and the end of that day, begin the seven clean days.
However, before she can begin the seven days, she must check that the bleeding did indeed cease. For this purpose, she performs a brief and gentle internal inspection (called a bedikah from the Hebrew word livdok which means “to check”) in which she inserts a clean white cloth to check for blood. If the cloth comes out clean, it is a sign that bleeding did in fact cease and she can begin to count seven clean days. This first bedikah is called a hefsek taharah, or simply hefsek (literally a “pause” before purification). The hefsek is considered “physical evidence” that bleeding has ended. It serves as a physical marker that the purification process may begin.
How do I check that bleeding has stopped?
Not every cloth can be used for a bedikah, nor is it advisable to use any type of cloth. Most mikvehs and Israeli pharmacies (even Israeli supermarkets) carry “bedikah cloths” which are the ideal choice for carrying out a bedikah as they meet the Torah’s guidelines (explained later) and are soft.
The bedikah must be conducted on the day that the bleeding stops (and no earlier than the fifth day of your period). At that point the seven clean days begin.
So that the bedikah will be accurate and reliable, it is best to prepare first:
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- Bathe thoroughly with special attention to areas where there may be blood. Using warm water, clean yourself internally (as much as possible) to remove any remnants of blood that were previously secreted from the uterus – that way you will know that any blood you see subsequently is in fact new blood and was not secreted earlier during the five days.
- After your shower, take a bedikah cloth and insert it as much as possible, circle inside with the cloth to ensure that all is clean.
- If the cloth has a red-colored stain when you remove it, you must wait an additional day before beginning the purification process – you will again bathe and do a new bedikah.
- If the cloth has a yellow-colored stain, you can begin the seven clean days. If the cloth has a dark brown or pink stain – show it to a rabbi who is an expert in Family Purity. Based on his knowledge and experience, he will tell you whether you can begin the seven clean days.
- If the day of the bedikah falls on Shabbat or a holiday, one must be careful not to transgress any Shabbat prohibitions. For example, do not heat water or use hot water from the tap (when you take hot water from the tap, cold water automatically enters the boiler and is heated up). Do not use bar soap, a sponge, washcloth, or pouffe on Shabbat. It is best to advise with a rabbi before Shabbat if you will need to carry out a bedikah on Shabbat.
Just to be sure
Once the bedikah cloth comes out clean, and to be extra sure, take another bedikah cloth and insert it. Keep it there until after the stars come out (the Torah defines the beginning of nightfall as the time when stars begin to appear), about half an hour. Take it out and check again that there are no stains, and the seven days can begin.
Daily Bedikah
Throughout these seven days, a woman must be sure, at all times, that there is no bleeding. She does this by doing a bedikah each morning and once again before sunset. If there are medical or other reasons that make it difficult to do this many times, be sure to do at least one bedikah on the first day and one on the seventh.
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- To ensure that your body is truly ready for purification, and that even a small amount of blood will not go unnoticed, the sages decreed that clothes which are worn against the skin (undergarments) should be white during the seven days. That will make it clear whether there has been blood or not.
- Before sunset – this refers to the hours in the late afternoon rather than immediately before sunset.
Note, don’t miss out on the days when a woman is a niddah. This is the ideal time for a couple to invest in their spiritual connection, on their unconditional love.
Stage Three – Preparation for Immersion
After the days of bedikah have passed and a woman sees that bleeding has completely stopped, she can begin the practical preparations for the main part of the purification – immersion in the mikveh.
Preparation for the mikveh is carried out by thoroughly cleansing the body because the mikveh water must come in contact with every part the body (including individual hairs). If there is dirt or discharge, or even knotted hair, the water will not reach the entire body. It will not come in contact with the skin that is covered by dirt or a hair that is caught in a knot. Thus, the immersion will not be completed as it should be, and the woman will not be purified. Therefore, bathing before immersion is extremely important, and a critical step in the entire purification process.
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- Step one in preparing for immersion is to remove any item or substance that could separate or serve as a barrier between your body and the water.
Thus, before immersion a woman must clean her body from any foreign substance like makeup, nail polish, etc. She must also remove any items that would create a barrier between the water and her body, like jewelry, band aids, and the like. She should cut her nails and clean any dirt that accumulated under the nail.
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- Do you have a cast or permanent bandage? Contact a rabbi. He will provide guidance for these types of situations.
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- Step two is to remove anything that is less noticeable to the eye but still constitutes a barrier between the water and the human body. Bathe thoroughly to ensure that you remove any dirt that may not be seen to the naked eye.
During immersion, your hair must be under the water as well. When you bathe, make sure that each hair can be separated from the others, that your hair is not tied back or braided. After you have bathed thoroughly, comb your hair, and make sure that all hairs can be separated from the others.
Just one more thing because we’re not quite finished.
There is a halachic rule that any part of the body that can sometimes be seen – even if the water won’t reach that part during immersion because it is generally covered and will be when you immerse – must be thoroughly cleaned before immersion. For example, the mouth. When a woman enters the water, her mouth is closed, and the mikveh water won’t come in contact with the inside of your mouth. Still, since the inside of the mouth can sometimes be seen (when a person opens their mouth), the mouth and all that is inside must be cleaned and ready for immersion. In other words, there should be no item or dirt (pieces of food) that could create a barrier between your mouth and the water (even though the water won’t enter the mouth…).
Therefore, before immersion, you must:
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- Take a warm bath, wash and comb your hair.
- Clean any wax or dirt from your ears.
- Remove nail polish and cut your nails (fingers and toes).
- Brush your teeth thoroughly to remove any “dirt” (pieces of food, etc.)
- Remove any dentures which are not permanent and thus constitute a “barrier” between your body and the water.
- Remove eye makeup (even though your eyes will be closed when you are in the water, because your eyes can otherwise be seen, they must be clean when you are in the water).
- Remove contact lenses and jewelry.
- And for the final step, check your body carefully and make sure that you are ready for immersion.
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- If your mikveh night is on Friday night or holiday eve, carry out your preparations before Shabbat (or the holiday) begins because some of the steps would transgress the laws of Shabbat and holidays. The immersion itself is allowed as usual on Shabbat and holidays.
- If your mikveh night is on a Saturday night (or at night after the end of a holiday), make sure to carry out all your preparations only after Shabbat or the holiday has ended so that you do not transgress the laws of Shabbat and holidays.
- So that you won’t forget some of the things you need to clean before immersion, here is a list of supplies that you will need (some mikvehs supply these items): towel, soap, sponge or wash cloth, shampoo, conditioner, dental floss, makeup remover, ear swabs, nail polish remover, nail file, cotton, tissues, pumice stone.
The rules of bathing
The preparations must be carried out close to the time of immersion. You should begin at least one of your preparations before sunset on the seventh day – even something small like cutting your nails or brushing your teeth. The rest can be done at night before you immerse.
The preparations can be done at home or at the mikveh – there is usually a shower or bath that you can use.
To prevent difficulties that could arise on mikveh night while you bathe or remove barriers, it is best to avoid activities that include anything sticky (like kneading dough), or anything with colored dye that will be difficult to remove completely. If these activities are absolutely necessary and cannot be avoided, try to clean your hands thoroughly immediately after you finish. That will make it easier to remove the dirt.
Additionally, try to avoid eating meat on the seventh day, or food that may get stuck in your teeth and will be difficult to remove before immersion.
On days when there is a mitzvah to eat meat, like a holiday, make sure to clean your teeth carefully before you immerse and make sure that there are no pieces of food that would constitute a barrier.
Stage Four (the Final Stage) – Immersion
Immersion must be carried out in a kosher mikveh (a mikveh which is under rabbinic supervision to ensure that its structure and management are consistent with Jewish law), and only after stars appear on the seventh day of the purification process.
Why does immersion take place at night?
Immersion in the mikveh can only be done after stars have appeared, because only at that point is the seventh of the clean days complete.
In some cases, a woman may be allowed to immerse on the eighth day – but she must first consult with a rabbi. For example, a woman who lives in an isolated area and cannot travel safely after dark may be allowed to immerse on the eighth day.
But first, what is a mikveh?
