Message from our Community's Rabbis.....
This Sunday morning Feb. 21st, at the Yad Yosef Torah Center of Ave J. ( 1036 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn,) there will be a special Tehillim reading from 9:00 AM -12:00 noon, for the speedy recovery of Mickey Beyda (Meir ben Jamila.) We plan on finishing the entire Tehillim one time. Ladies may attend as well to the Ladies section.
As an added zechut, we ask for community members to keep a half day Taanit Dibur until midday 12:09.
May the zechut of our Tefillot and the zechut of Moshe Rabenu (Sunday is 7th of Adar, Moshe Rabenu's yahrtzeit,) bring Mickey a Refuah Shelemah together with all the sick of Klal Yisrael. Amen.
Thank you,
The Rabbis of the Sephardic Community of NY & NJ
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Today's Halacha:
There is a Halachic principle known as “En Petihat Ha’keber Be’lo Dam,” which means that when a woman’s uterus is opened, it is assumed that blood exited the uterus. The practical implication of this rule is that a woman is presumed to be a Nidda when she reaches the advanced stages of labor. Once the uterus has opened to a certain point, we must assume that blood exited the uterus, regardless of whether or not any blood was sighted. We therefore consider a woman a Nidda at advanced stages of labor even though she has not experienced any bleeding.
The Halachic authorities address the question of whether this principle applies as well to a gynecological examination. Women occasionally undergo examinations which involve the insertion of certain medical instruments. These examinations cause a “Petihat He’keber” – an opening of the uterus – and should thus, seemingly, render the woman a Nidda, even if no blood was sighted. Indeed, the Noda Bi’yehuda (Rabbi Yehezkel Landau of Prague, 1713-1793) ruled that a woman who undergoes an internal gynecological examination is, ipso facto, considered a Nidda, irrespective of the sighting of any blood.
Other authorities, however, disagreed. In their view, the rule of “En Petihat Ha’keber Be’lo Dam” applies only when the uterus opened from within, as a result of labor, and not when it is opened from without, such as by a medical instrument. Therefore, we do not assume that blood left the uterus if the uterus is opened as a result of a medical examination. This is the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef (listen to audio recording for precise citation). If blood was sighted during the internal examination, then a Rabbi must be consulted to determine the woman’s status. The blood may have originated from the uterus – in which case the woman is a Nidda – or from a wound outside the uterus – in which case she is not a Nidda. In such a case, one should consult a Rabbi who will determine the woman’s status based upon the nature and circumstances of the examination. But if the procedure did not cause any visible bleeding, then the woman does not have to assume that bleeding occurred, and she is not a Nidda.
Summary: A woman who underwent an internal gynecological examination and did not see any bleeding is not considered a Nidda. If visible bleeding occurred, she must consult with a competent Halachic authority for guidance.
