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

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Trading beds

8 December, 2004
Question:

Are mattresses mekabel tum'a? We are considering moving our bedroom furniture, but for multiple reasons, that would affect which bed we each sleep on. Can we just "trade" beds or do we have to switch the mattresses too? Are the bed frames themselves a problem? The way the beds are made, they only fit together one way.


Answer:

Mattresses are mekabel tumah. This means that if you find a blood stain on them greater than a certain size (a gris), it could make you niddah. However, currently, in the absence of the Temple, we do not observe ritual tumah and taharah in sense of there being any difference whether the bed, table, dishes, etc. are tahor or tamei.

Concerning not sleeping in each other's beds during a time of separation, "renaming" the beds by permanently changing their positions, bedding, etc., should be enough. If there are other aspects you are worried about, please get back to us and clarify them.

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