Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Mikveh night conflict

28 March, 2005
Question:

I have not run into a situation like this before where I could not juggle the evening, but I find myself having to go to the mikveh the same night I have an affair to attend. The affair begins at 6:00. The earliest time to immerse is about 8:00. I would either have to leave the affair by 8:30- 9:00 (just 2 1/2 hours after arriving) . or arrive at 9-9:30 (not even worth going). Neither is a reasonable or comfortable solution. With prep time and travel time it seems that I will not be able to do both. What would you recommend in such a situation?


Answer:

We recommend preparing for mikveh before the affair.  That would significantly cut down on time spent at the mikveh, as would going to the mikveh closest to the affair.  

You might even be able to immerse in the middle of the affair and come back.  In that case, or if immersing at the end, you would take care not to wear any makeup that would be difficult to remove and not to eat meat at the affair.  (If it is a seudat mitzvah, such as a wedding, you could eat meat, so long as you take great care not to get meat caught in your teeth and to clean them well at the mikveh.)  At the mikveh, you would take a quick shower, comb your hair, remove jewelry, clean your teeth if you ate, and inspect your body in the mirror. 

Another option is to make arrangements with the mikveh to come later than the usual hours. Most mikvaot are willing to do this, sometimes for a fee.

If no arrangement works out, and your husband agrees, then you may delay immersion to the following night.

Please feel free to write back with any further questions.

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. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional.

For further questions or comments: 

The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.

Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.

Accessibility Toolbar