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Today's Halacha:
The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parshat Sav (7), discusses the laws of the "Shib’a Nekiyim," the "seven clean days" that a woman who is a Nidda must observe before she can immerse in a Mikveh to become permissible to her husband (listen to audio recording for precise citation). He writes that this seven-day period must be observed regardless of a whether a woman became a Nidda as a result of her natural menstrual flow, or if she saw just a small drop of blood or a bloodstain (that was determined to be a stain that renders her a Nidda). In all these situations, she cannot immerse in a Mikveh to become Tehora (pure) before counting seven consecutive days, during which she examines herself to ensure the complete cession of bleeding. If any blood is sighted during this seven-day period, she must begin counting the seven days anew.
When does a Nidda begin counting the seven days?
Different customs exist in this regard. The most lenient practice is to allow a woman to begin counting the seven days four days after the onset of her menstrual flow. If after four days a woman can ascertain the cessation of bleeding, then, according to this practice, she may begin counting the Shib’a Nekiyim already that night. The Ben Ish Hai followed a more stringent custom, to allow counting the Shib’a Nekiyim only after seven days have passed since the onset of menstruation. According to this practice, a Nidda is forbidden to her husband for a period of at least fourteen days. The custom in our community – as Hacham Baruch Ben Haim ZT"L instructed – is to allow a woman to begin counting the Shib’a Nekiyim after five days. After five days of menstruation, a woman who has stopped bleeding may begin counting her seven clean days. As this is the accepted custom in our community, one should follow this practice. Particularly with regard to the laws of Nidda, the violation of which incurs the severe punishment of Karet, it is imperative for everybody to carefully follow the customs and traditions that have been handed to us from our ancestors.
This Halacha applies regardless of how a woman became a Nidda – whether as a result of her monthly flow or of sighting a Ketem (stain). In both instances, she must wait five days and then begin counting the Shib’a Nekiyim. Interestingly, the Ben Ish Hai, who, as mentioned, requires waiting seven days before counting the Shib’a Nekiyim, allows waiting only five days in the case of a Ketem. According to our custom, however, there is no difference between the two cases, and in both situations the woman is eligible to begin counting the seven clean days five days after becoming a Nidda.
It should be noted that the five-day waiting period is required only once in each Nidda cycle. If a woman experiences bleeding or sees a stain during the Shib’a Nekiyim, then she does not have to wait at all before beginning the seven-day count anew. She may begin the new count as soon as the bleeding stops. Since she had already waited five days, she does not have to observe this waiting period again.
Summary: A woman who became a Nidda must wait five days and then, if the bleeding has completely ceased, she may begin the seven-day period of Shib’a Nekiyim, during which she must examine herself to ensure the complete cessation of bleeding. If blood is sighted during the Shib’a Nekiyim, then she must begin the Shiba Nekiyim anew, but without waiting five days; she may begin the new count as soon as the bleeding stops. After the Shib’a Nekiyim, she may immerse in the Mikveh to become permissible to her husband.
