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

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Avoiding chatzitzot on Shabbat

29 March, 2005

Question:

I am supposed to go to the mikveh this motzei shabbos and read your website's articles on this topic. You say that "on Shabbat you should try to be careful to avoid chatzitzot if possible" and I was wondering how strict this rule is. I will be at an aufruf this shabbos where I will be in public a great deal and keeping my hair untangled, not wearing makeup, and/or not wearing jewelry (esp. my wedding ring) might be hard to do and perhaps noticeable. What do you advise in terms of how I should prepare before shabbos?


Answer:

You should try to avoid getting dirty in a way that will be time consuming to deal with after Shabbat. The examples discussed in the sources are dough and foods that don't clean off easily. There is no problem with wearing jewelry, which is easily removed. The idea is to plan ahead so as not to find yourself rushing through preparations after Shabbat. The most important thing is to immerse with no chatzitzot, so be sure to remove your makeup, comb your hair, and check yourself thoroughly (iyun) before immersion.


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