A Yoetzet Halacha (Hebrew for “female advisor in Jewish law”) is a woman trained to counsel others in matters of Taharat HaMishpacha (family purity). The term refers specifically to women who have undergone rigorous halachic training to guide other women in the sensitive areas of Jewish law relating to women’s reproductive health. Yoatzot Halacha (plural) are certified through Nishmat – The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, a renowned Orthodox seminary in Jerusalem.
Nishmat pioneered the education and certification of Yoatzot Halacha. In 1997, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, head of Nishmat, established the Keren Ariel Women’s Halachic Institute to train Yoatzot Halacha, under the direction of Rabbi Yaacov Varhaftig, Dean of the Institute, and Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin z”l. In 2006, Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center was established to serve North American communities, and in 2011 the center launched the U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program, led by its Dean, Rabbi Kenneth Auman.
The role of Yoetzet Halacha was devised to assist women who are more comfortable discussing very personal and intimate topics with another woman. Women preparing to become Yoatzot Halacha are chosen for their extensive Torah scholarship, leadership ability, and deep religious commitment. They devote two years to intensive study of Taharat HaMishpacha and are then tested and certified by a panel of rabbinic scholars. In addition, they train with experts in fields related to their work, such as women’s health. To learn more, please see our page on Becoming a Yoetzet Halacha.
As of the summer of 2025, about 220 Yoatzot Halacha will have been certified in Israel and worldwide.
How to reach a Yoetzet Halacha:
- Ask a question through one of our websites, in English, Hebrew, French, or Spanish.
- Call Nishmat’s Golda Koschitzky Women’s Halachic Hotline.
- Find a Yoetzet Halacha in your community using our map or directory.
- Arrange a free consultation with a Yoetzet Halacha Fertility Counselor.
To learn more about Nishmat, which offers a rich variety of Torah learning opportunities for women at all levels, please see the main Nishmat website.
Our Leadership
Rabbanit Atara Eis
Dean of Nishmat
Director of Yoatzot Programs
Rav Yaakov Varharftig
Dean of Keren Ariel, Rabbinic Supervisor Golda Koschitzky Hotline & Hebrew Yoatzot.org
Rav Michael Edrei
Rabbinic Supervisor Fertility Counselors
Rabbanit Ilana Hadad
Dean of Nishmat
Founding Leadership
Rabbanit Chana Henkin
Founder & Chancellor of Nishmat
Founder of the Yoatzot Halacha Program
Rav Yehuda Henkin ztz"l
Founding Rabbinic Authority for Yoatzot Halacha
Rabbinic Supervisor English Yoatzot.org
Rav Yaakov Varhaftig
Founding Rabbinic Authority, Dean of Keren Ariel
Rabbinic Supervisor Golda Koschitzky Hotline & Hebrew Yoatzot.org
FAQ about Yoatzot Halacha
Which Rabbanim oversee, teach and guide the yoatzot? Who answers the questions? Who issues the halachic rulings and approves what is written on the site?
Rav Yaakov Warhaftig is the Dean and primary instructor for Keren Ariel, the certification program for Yoatzot Halacha at Midreshet Nishmat in Jerusalem, and serves as the rabbinic supervisor of the telephone hotline and the Hebrew website.
Rav Kenneth Auman is the Dean of the US Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program and rabbinic supervisor of the English website. Rav Gedalyah Berger is maggid shiur (lecturer) for the US Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program and is also consulted by the Yoatzot.
Rav Yehuda H. Henkin ztz”l was the founding rabbinic supervisor for the English website. Much of the website still reflects his psak (halachic ruling).
Rav Assaf Bednarsh and Rav Michael Edrei, both in Israel, are part of the rabbinic staff for the Yoatzot program and provide support for the hotline and websites. Rav Edrei is also the supervising rabbi for the fertility counselors.
On the website, Yoatzot Halacha draft answers to all the submitted questions and consult with the rabbinic supervisors on matters of psak. All halachic responses are reviewed and approved by one of our supervising Rabbanim before being sent out. The information pages and videos on our website have all been reviewed by Rav Henkin ztz”l or Rav Auman.
Dr. Deena Zimmerman, a Yoetzet Halacha and physician, or Dr. Yardena Hyman, a fertility specialist, also review any questions of a medical nature.
How are Yoatzot different than rabbis? Do Yoatzot pasken questions? Do they only answer questions about women's issues?
Yoatzot Halacha are women certified by a panel of Orthodox rabbis to be a resource for women with questions regarding Taharat HaMishpacha and women’s health. They also try to educate and provide information and enhance women’s understanding of Taharat HaMishpacha and related topics.
Yoatzot are halachic specialists in one area, hilchot niddah, and are not necessarily well-versed in other areas, unlike rabbis. However, women who are accepted to the course of study must have the requisite background to delve deeply into original halachic sources, as the course of study is demanding, with frequent testing and close supervision of their progress. The thorough and high-level program prepares Yoatzot to address most of the questions that women ask.
As in any professional field, newer yoatzot will be consulting with their peers and their rabbis more often than more experienced yoatzot. All yoatzot recognize when a posek, an authoritative rabbinic expert, needs to rule on a more difficult or unusual case. Yoatzot are not certified to issue novel piskei halacha (halachic rulings) and answer questions only according to their qualifications, knowledge, and experience.
- In cases of established psak, Yoatzot will explain the halacha to the questioner.
- In cases in which opinions vary, Yoatzot answer questions according to the rulings of the Nishmat poskim, unless the questioner follows the rulings of a particular Jewish community, or follows the rulings of a communal or personal rav.
- In new, complex, or doubtful cases, Yoatzot consult with Nishmat’s poskim, unless the questioner prefers otherwise.
For the “Ask the Yoetzet” email service on this website, the website’s rabbinic supervisor reads and approves every answer before it is sent out. All halachic content posted on the site is also reviewed and approved.
The idea of a Yoetzet Halacha makes a lot of sense, since women feel more comfortable asking women intimate questions. Do you have rabbinic support for your program from mainstream Charedi Rabbanim or Gedolim?
In Israel, Chief Rabbis past and present, including some who are Gedolei Torah, as well as the overwhelming majority of leading chareidi-leumi and dati-leumi rabbis, support the work of the Yoatzot. Charedi rabbis are precluded from public support because of their traditional opposition to women studying Talmud, and certainly to rigorous study of original halachic sources such as the Tur and Beit Yosef, rishonim and acharonim. However, a number of chareidi poskim have privately said that, while they would not have initially supported training yoatzot halacha, at this point it is a great mitzvah for the yoatzot to counsel women who turn to them, including chareidi women.
Overseas, Yoatzot Halacha have gained acceptance over time as they have strengthened full and faithful observance of traditional Jewish practice. In 2017, the OU endorsed Yoatzot as valuable contributors to the observance of Taharat HaMishpacha and recognized that many communities would benefit from their services. At the same time, as in Israel, there is a spectrum of Orthodox groups and ideologies, and rabbanim may feel differently about the Yoatzot and whether women should ideally be turning to them.
Why weren't there Yoatzot Halacha before?
Over the course of Jewish history, there have occasionally been women who were highly knowledgeable in halacha, Jewish law. These women were consulted by their female peers, especially in areas of halacha related to intimate matters.
As Jewish women have become more Jewishly educated, the possibility opened up for women to study halacha in depth, and Rabbanit Chana Henkin, the founder of the Yoatzot program, recognized the amazing impact this could have for observant Jewish women, who naturally prefer to consult with a knowledgeable woman for Taharat Hamishpacha questions.
Is it possible for women in the community to learn to pasken (rule on) the colors of niddah, so that women can send their underwear and bedikah cloths to other women and avoid the embarrassment of asking the local Rav?
This question raises an important point and is a large part of the reason for the establishment of Nishmat’s Yoatzot Halacha. However, it is important to differentiate between different levels of training.
On a personal level, a woman can gain a certain amount of experience in evaluating her own stains. Colors that do not present a question – clear, white, yellow, or light brown discharges (the color of coffee with milk, with no reddish hue) – need not be shown to a halachic authority. A stain or bedikah that is clearly red doesn’t usually have to be looked at either, because it is obviously a niddah color. (In some cases, even red blood can be attributed to an injury, dam makkah, or a stain can be attributed to another source.) Any color whose halachic status is unclear – such as darker or reddish browns – should be evaluated by a halachic expert in this field. If the same ‘unclear’ color recurs, you may ask the halachic authority if this is a color which you have to bring for evaluation in the future or if you can extrapolate from the recent ruling. In this way, your rabbi or yoetzet halacha can train you over time where possible.
For the ‘unclear colors’ described above, extensive training involves practical experience (known as shimush). This training includes learning from a rabbi which colors are acceptable in the tradition he has received. This requires a significant dedication of time — after having learned the halachic principles. Many yoatzot halacha have already completed this additional level of training, and more will do so in the future. All yoatzot are available to help facilitate the asking of the question for a woman who is uncomfortable dealing directly with a local Rav. Over time, with more and more Yoatzot with the requisite knowledge and practical experience , more women will be available to provide this service. Furthermore, all women should spend time learning the basic halachot to help minimize the times that they need to ask a question.
Colors can be assessed most precisely and accurately in person. However, when this is not a possibility, we recommend Tahor App, which uses sophisticated color calibration technology to allow women to send accurate photographs for remote rabbinic evaluation. This app is limited since not all colors can be evaluated accurately this way.