Thank you for reaching out to us.

The hefsek taharah establishes that bleeding has ceased from that point onward, in order for a woman to begin her clean days as of sunset. So renewed bleeding can invalidate an earlier hefsek taharah, but does not rule out or otherwise affect a later attempt.

In your situation, the halacha depends on the nature of the renewed bleeding:

• If you only found staining that would not make you niddah or invalidate the clean days (e.g., a stain smaller than a gris, or blood on toilet paper when you waited before wiping), your original hefsek remains valid. Please see our pages on stains and toilet paper for more details.



• If you found a stain that does make you niddah (e.g., a stain larger than a gris on white underwear), or if for some reason you performed another bedikah and found blood on it, your original hefsek is invalidated and you need to perform a new one before sunset today.



• If you experienced a new flow of blood (as a rule of thumb, bleeding heavy enough that a single light pantyliner would not suffice to contain it for a full day), your original hefsek is invalidated and you need to perform a new one. In this case, the new hefsek must be done shortly before sunset, no earlier than minchah ketanah, and the moch dachuk is a strict requirement and may not be omitted. For more on the definition of a flow, see our page on stains.

If you need to do a new hefsek and won't be able to get home in time for sunset, you can perform the hefsek in a bathroom where you are. You can clean the vaginal area lightly beforehand with water, or a moist wipe if you have one.

In general, it is fully permitted to make multiple attempts at a hefsek taharah over the course of one day. (Multiple attempts may irritate the vaginal lining, leading to scratches or even bleeding. A woman should take this into account, leaving time between attempts to allow natural lubrication to return.)

Please write back with any further questions.

Note: For time-sensitive questions such as these, it is best to contact a local authority or our hotline for an immediate answer.

This response was updated on 31 December, 2025.