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

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Tishah B’Av hefsek

19 July, 2007
Question:

If one has to do a hefsek on tisha baav, is one allowed to take a regular shower before or is it like how one does it on shabbos?? what about soap?? and what does one do for erev tisha baav??


Answer:

On Tishah B'Av it is prohibited to come in contact with water for pleasure, but it is permitted to wash oneself minimally in order to get rid of dirt. Therefore, it is permitted to wash in preparation for the hefsek taharah. You should minimize your contact with water as much as possible and limit it to the vaginal area only.  You would only use soap if you found it necessary for cleaning the vaginal area.  If you find this difficult, you could also use baby wipes or hygienic wipes, and then perform a hefsek taharah as usual.

For a hefsek taharah during the nine days, in addition to the above, you could shower in lukewarm water.

In either scenario, you would change to clean white underwear.

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