Broken nail found after immersion - Nishmat Yoatzot Halacha

Home / Q&A / Mikveh Immersion, Mikveh Preparation / Broken nail found after immersion

Broken nail found after immersion

January 6, 2011

Question

Thank you for your wonderful website.

I immersed and made sure to check my body before I was tovel. In addition, the mikvah lady examined my hands and stated that I was ready to dip.

Shortly after I arrived home, I realized that one of my nails was broken; when I checked the nail, I saw that there was a split in the nail.

If I had noticed this before the mikvah, of course I would have filed down the nail. However, considering that the mikvah lady checked my hands before I was tovel, and although I checked my hands before I dipped (although I can't 100% say that the split was not there when I checked––I might have missed it), is it safe to assume that my tevilah was valid? Or would this warrant me having to be tovel again?

Thank you so much.

Answer

As long as the preparations were done shortly before immersing (and not hours before), and you inspected your body immediately prior to immersion, you may assume that the nail cracked after you had already immersed. Your tevilah remains valid.

Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.