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A bedikat hefsek taharah may be performed right after washing, internal or external.

When a woman cleans herself internally (as is desirable before a hefsek taharah), there is some halachic preference to wait a few minutes after internal washing, so that any new bleeding will show up on the bedikah. But there is no halachic requirement to wait at all between even internal washing and the hefsek taharah.

Waiting at least a few minutes also allows time for some of the natural lubrication to return to the area, reducing the chance of irritation to the vaginal lining. Such irritation can potentially lead to bleeding, which could make it more difficult to get a valid hefsek.

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This response was updated on 22 October, 2025.