The subject of this chapter is the seven-day period after menstruation ends.
During this period, many important changes take place in a woman's body; in particular, an egg matures and the uterine lining grows, as mentioned in the first chapter. A woman is given a special opportunity to participate in the wondrous process of creation taking place within her—carefully examining herself and determining her status throughout these seven days. During these days, a woman prepares for purification, making sure each day that she no longer has any discharge of blood from the uterus. These days are likened to the seven days of Creation.
This period can also be compared to spring, when flowers unfurl their petals and fruit begins to swell.
The fruit already looks appetizing, but, as we know, there is little pleasure in unripe fruit—it is either bitter, sour, or entirely tasteless. We have to be patient and wait for summer—then it will be a true delight.
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«Hefsek Taharah»
Purification does not take place immediately after menstruation has visibly stopped—another full seven days must pass without any discharge of blood. Therefore, once a woman senses that the bleeding has stopped (provided that at least five days have passed since menstruation began), she examines herself toward sunset (the time of sunset depends on the geographical location and the season and is given in most Jewish calendars) to make sure that the discharge of blood really has stopped completely. This examination is called a “hefsek taharah,” since it confirms the cessation of bloody discharge and marks the beginning of the purification process.
Having established through an examination that the bleeding has stopped completely, a woman puts on clean white underwear and, at nightfall, begins counting the “seven clean days”[1].
Counting the «seven clean days»
For all seven days after the “hefsek taharah,” a woman checks for any bloody discharge and wears white underwear.
After seven days during which no bloody discharge has been found, at the beginning of the eighth day—that is, on the night between the seventh and eighth days—a woman immerses in the mikveh.
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How to Perform an Examination
A woman is considered a niddah even if only a very small amount of blood has been discharged from her uterus, even if it is not visible externally. Therefore, at certain times, a woman must examine herself to establish whether there really is no discharge. The examination is performed using a soft white cotton or linen cloth. Ready-made examination cloths can be purchased at a mikveh or pharmacy.
The examination in question is internal, and it requires knowing how to perform it. This can be learned from a teacher who prepares brides for marriage.
After the examination, the cloth is inspected in daylight. White or yellow discharge on the cloth—with no red or black specks, or specks with a reddish tinge—indicates that the examination is “clean.”
Our book provides only a general overview of the subject. The laws of family purity should be studied using appropriate halachic literature, such as the book «Bread, Fire and Water» and others.
[1] At nightfall, because in the Jewish reckoning a day begins in the evening, when the stars appear, as it says: “And there was evening, and there was morning” (Genesis, 1). The time of nightfall, that is, the appearance of the stars, can be found in a Jewish calendar.