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

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Brown on hefsek

14 April, 2005
Question:

I wanted to do a hefsek thurs. before shkiah. I did one at around 3:00 pm at it was practically clean. (There was a slight brown discharge that was able to come off by wiping it with a finger). I got caught up with my children and had a perfectly clean hefsek 45 minutes after shkiah. It has been 7 days, and not once have I ever had to go into the 8th. Can I go to the mikva on Thurs. night?


Answer:

Whether or not you can rely on the first hefsek taharah to go to the mikveh Thursday night depends on the color of the brown discharge.  While some authorities reject any brown discharge on a hefsek taharah, there can be room to permit it, especially after the fact.  The size of a discharge makes no difference on a bedikah cloth. 

What color brown was it and under what lighting (fluorescent, incandescent, or sunlight) did you see it?

In the future, you should not wipe the brown off of the hefsek taharah and you should bring it promptly to a Rabbi. 

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