DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 1.44 MB)
May a Woman Immerse in the Mikveh Before Sundown on the Seventh Day?

A woman who had been a Nidda must count seven "clean days" and then immerse after dark at the end of the seventh day. The immersion should not be done before dark; she must wait until after nightfall at the end of the seventh day before immersing in the Mikveh. Nevertheless, the Shulhan Aruch rules that if, for whatever reason, the woman immersed before sundown on the seventh day, the immersion is valid and she does not have to immerse again after dark.

Furthermore, there are certain extenuating circumstances in which Halacha permits a woman to immerse before sundown. One example is when the immersion is scheduled to take place on Friday night, and the nearest Mikveh is far from one’s home. In this case, if the woman immerses after dark, she would be unable to return home on Shabbat. Under such circumstances, Halacha permits the woman to immerse before Shabbat and then return home. However, since she does not become permissible to her husband until after nightfall, it is forbidden for her to be together with her husband in the interim. Therefore, in such a case, the husband and wife must arrange for the husband to be somewhere else when the wife returns home from the Mikveh before Shabbat. These Halachot are codified by Hacham Ovadia Yosef in his Taharat Ha’bayit (p. 492; listen to audio recording for precise citation).

It must be emphasized that this dispensation is given only in cases that clearly qualify as "Sha’at Ha’dahak" – extenuating circumstances. One must ensure not to abuse this Halacha by allowing a woman to immerse before sundown purely for the sake of convenience. For example, if a couple is going on vacation together and their flight leaves in the early evening, this does not qualify as a "Sha’at Ha’dahak" to allow the woman to immerse before sundown. (In any event, in this case she would be forbidden to be together with her husband on the plane before dark.) Another situation in which this Halacha could be misapplied is when a couple is invited to friends for Friday night dinner, and the wife wants to be able to put on makeup before dinner. This concern is not regarded as "extenuating circumstances" that allow for immersing before sundown. It is imperative to consult with a Rabbi for guidance to determine if a certain problem allows a wife to rely on this special dispensation and immerse before sundown. Certainly, it would be wrong to establish as a matter of policy that a woman may immerse before sundown whenever it would be difficult to immerse after dark.

Summary: A woman’s immersion after the seven "clean days" must take place after dark. When extenuating circumstances arise, one must consult with a Rabbi for guidance, as in certain situations it may be permissible to immerse already before sundown on the seventh day. As a rule, however, this is forbidden.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Yom Kippur-Kohanim &Levi’im Washing Their Hands
Yom Kippur: The Prohibitions of Melacha, Eating and Drinking
Yom Kippur-Halachot of Eating and Smelling
Reciting the Beracha Over a Candle on Mosa'e Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur – May Somebody Receive an Aliya or Serve as Hazzan if He Needs to Eat or Drink
When Does Yom Kippur Begin?
If One Must Eat on Yom Kippur
The Yom Kippur Fast – Guidelines For a Woman Who Has Just Given Birth
Kapparot For a Pregnant Woman
Yom Kippur- What if a Person Faints on Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur- How Much should a Sick Person Drink on Yom Kippur?
How is a Brit Milah Performed on Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur- When Can Those With Heart and Kidney Conditions, Diabetics and Those Recovering from Surgery Eat?
Yom Kippur: Kiddush for One who Eats if Yom Kippur Falls Out on Shabbat?
The Yom Kippur Eve Prayer Service When it Falls on Friday Night
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found