Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

and Rabbinic law, a hefsek taharah ("pause" to initiate "purity") is a verification method used in the

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

community by a woman who is in a ''

niddah Niddah (or nidah; he, נִדָּה), in traditional Judaism, describes a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirem ...

'' state to determine that

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of ...

has ceased. The performance of a ''hefsek taharah'' is needed to initiate the counting of seven days absent of blood discharge.

Mishnaic source

The source for a Jewish woman to perform an "examination" is quoted implicitly in the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

; There is a difference of opinion amongst

halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

sources whether the self-examination is '' D'Oraita'' (required by Torah law) or '' D'Rabbanan'' (rabbinical requirement).

Methodology

In the Orthodox Jewish community, women may test whether menstruation has ceased; this ritual is known as the ''hefsek tahara''. The woman takes a bath or shower near sunset, wraps a clean white

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

("bedikah cloth") around her finger, and swipes the inner

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

l circumference. If the cloth shows only discharges that are white, yellow, or clear, then menstruation is considered to have ceased. If discharge is bright red, it indicates that menstruation is still in effect. If it is any other color, it is subject to further inquiry, often involving consultation with a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

. The ritual requires that the cloth used to perform this test is first checked carefully to ensure that it is clean of any marks, colored threads, or specks; the cloth itself can be any clean white cloth, although there are small cloths designed for this ritual, known as ''

bedikah In Judaism, ''bedikah'' (, "inspection", ''bedikot'') may refer to: * checking if a ''niddah'' (menstruant woman) has stopped menstruating * checking if ''shechita In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; he, ; ; also transliterated ''shehi ...

'' (meaning ''checking''). In the Orthodox Jewish community, further rituals are practices toward assurance regarding the cessation of the menstrual flow. After the ''hefsek tahara'', some women insert a cloth (or, in modern times, a

tampon A tampon is a menstrual product designed to absorb blood and vaginal secretions by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Unlike a pad, it is placed internally, inside of the vaginal canal. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held in ...

), consequently known as a ''moch dachuk'', for between 18 minutes and an hour, to ensure that there is no

uterine The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...

blood; this must be done carefully, as it could otherwise irritate the

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It i ...

, causing bleeding unrelated to menstruation. If there is any fear of irritation causing bleeding, a rabbi may waive this practice. Some women also repeat the "bedikah" each morning and evening of the seven days subsequent to the end of menstruation. Another tradition is the wearing of white underwear and use of white bedding during this period; conversely, the rest of the time, when not counting the "seven clean days", some women who suffer from spotting deliberately use coloured underwear and coloured toilet paper, since it is only when blood is seen on white material that it has ''

tumah In Jewish law, ''ṭumah'' (, ) and ''ṭaharah'' (, ) are the state of being ritually "impure" and "pure", respectively. The Hebrew noun ''ṭum'ah'', meaning "impurity", describes a state of ritual impurity. A person or object which contracts ...

'' status in Jewish law. When not during their seven "clean" days, all women are advised to wear colored undergarments.

The cloth

The ''bedikah cloth'' or "checking cloth," called an ''id'' cloth"or an "''eid''" witness"in Hebrew, is a clean piece of white cloth used in the process of purifying a ''niddah''. It is used by observant Jewish women to determine whether they have finished

. The cloth is inserted into the

, and if no blood is found, the woman may start counting the seven blood-free days. On each of these days, she performs this examination in the morning and in the later afternoon before sunset. If no blood is found, she may go to the

mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purifi ...

on the eighth evening after nightfall, and then engage in relations with her husband. This practice is also occasionally used by Jewish men to check if he has gotten blood on himself from his wife after relations to determine whether she menstruates during relations. Such cloths are about two by four inches, and are available at local Judaica stores, the local

, stores in Orthodox neighborhoods in Israel and pharmacies and some supermarkets in Israel, or may be cut from clean all-white soft cotton or linen fabric.

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...

''Kedushah'' Laws of forbidden relations 4:15

Newlywed

According to Orthodox authorities, a bride who experiences bleeding from the hymen upon her marriage's consummation counts only four days before performing a ''hefsek tahara'', instead of the usual five.

References

{{Marital life in Judaism Jewish ritual purity law Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law