Discarded brown hefsek

Hi –

I am on the pill and have always been able to do a clean bedikah on the fifth day since i started with this cycle over a year ago. This last time i had a small stain on the bedikah cloth (more brown then red) but did not keep the cloth to give to my husband to show a rav. I have been back and forth in my head whether i should wait till the next night to go to the mikvah or can rely on what usually occurs, coupled with the fact that i did not have any further stain or leaking past that instant in which i had a questionable bedikah. Would i be able to count the seven days from that hefsek if i cant conclusively say that my bedikah was 100% clean?

Thanks for your help

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your question.

The hefsek taharah does not have to be totally clear. However, it does have to show that uterine bleeding has stopped.  A brown color on the hefsek taharah, unless it is a light beige or tan with no hint of red, needs to be evaluated by a halachic authority.  Your patterns from previous months and lack of subsequent staining do not, in and of themselves, change the status of the bedikah.

Unfortunately, in a case like this, where the status of the color was uncertain and the cloth is no longer available, it cannot be relied on as a hefsek taharah.  You should retroactively count a bedikah from the following day as a new hefsek taharah. Your clean days and immersion are pushed off by one day.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases.

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