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

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Interval between hefsek attempts

9 January, 2014

Question:

I was doing my hefsek taharah ten minutes before sunset. The first bedikah wasn't good. I waited one minute, and did another bedikah, which was fine. Is that acceptable? Is there a certain amount of time one must wait halachically before doing a second bedikah?


Answer:

It is preferable to wait a few minutes in between attempts at a hefsek taharah.  Waiting allows for natural lubrication to return, which can prevent irritation from the bedikah.  It also gives a more accurate sense of whether the woman has in fact ceased bleeding.  For medical reasons, we usually suggest waiting about ten minutes where possible.  In a situation such as you describe, shortly before sunset, it would have been desirable to wait a few more minutes.  

Even so, your second bedikah does count as a hefsek taharah, since it did show that bleeding was not ongoing at that very moment prior to sunset.  You may continue to count your clean days.


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