The Purification Process of Niddah: Difference between revisions

* The Mordechai (Niddah no. 737) quoting the Roke’ach (317 s.v. boel) as saying that the women should do a bedika twice a day. The Bet Yosef adds that it seems to be against many rishonim who hold once a day is sufficient. Nonetheless, Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 196:4 writes that one should check daily twice a day.</ref> For a woman for whom checking twice a day is likely to cause her to see blood because of a wound may check only once on day one and once on day seven. A woman should only do so after checking with a rabbi.<ref>Taharat Habayit v. 2 p. 301 is lenient to allow a woman to only check on day one and seven once if that might cause her to see blood because of a wound on a ketem.</ref>

# After the fact, if a woman checked on days 1 and 7 twice a day, the woman may go to the mikveh the night of the 7th. In general if she missed bedikot she should consult a rabbi.<ref>The Tenayim in the Mishna Niddah 68b argue if a woman only checked days 1 and 7 if that works, Rabbi Eliezer says it does, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Akiva hold that it doesn’t. Rav and Rabbi Chanina in 69a argue whether according to Rabbi Eliezer after the fact if it is enough to just check day 1 or 7 or both are necessary. The Rambam (Isurei Biyah 6:22), Rosh (Niddah 10:5), and Rashba ([http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8922&st=&pgnum=385 Torat Habayit 24a]) rule like Rav that after the fact day 1 or day 7 works. However, the Smag (Lavin 111 s.v. halacha lmaaseh) writes that one should be strict for Rabbi Chanina since it isn't clear who the halacha follows and even after the fact day 1 and 7 is necessary. He concludes that there shouldn't be more than 5 days between bedikot. The Shulchan Aruch writes that one should be strict for the Smag.

# After the fact, if a woman only checked once a day and not twice a day, some poskim hold that is sufficient.<ref>Sidrei Tahara 196:16. Rav Mordechai Willig (Am Mordechai on Shulchan Aruch p. 125) and in [http://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecture.cfm/863353/rabbi-mordechai-i-willig/niddah-shiur-13-shivah-nekiim-continued-/ a shiur on yutorah.org (Niddah Shiur 13, min 40-50)] is even lenient initially to avoid a woman causing herself to bleed unnecessarily and also because of how difficult it often is to check before nighttime. He added that if one wanted to be strict one should check the 1st and 7th day twice. Also, the one bedika should be done in the morning.</ref>

# A blind woman can do a bedika and show it to her friend to check that it is clean.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 196:7</ref>