Vacation far from mikveh

10 August, 2009

Question:

My wife and I are on vacation in a very rural area of the UK. Due to a mixup in her cycle my wife will need to go to the mikvah this Saturday night, the closest mikvah is a 3 1⁄2 hour drive each way (which makes it very difficult to go at night at all), can my wife go to the mikvah on Sunday (the eighth day) in daylight hours?, and if yes what special instructions does she need to follow? Your response will be very much appreciated.

Answer:

In this situation, it would be best to arrange for alternative lodgings nearer a mikveh for Shabbat and Motzei Shabbat, or else for Sunday night, so that your wife could immerse at night and you could have the evening together.

If that isn't feasible, your wife could immerse at sunset on Sunday, in which case your arrival back where you are staying should not be impossibly late. (Assuming 8:20 pm sunset in London plus 3.5 hours, you would get back around midnight, although if you are in the north or in Scotland it would be later.) If she immerses at sunset, you should not have relations until after nightfall. The only other special instruction would be to prepare for mikveh on Sunday during the day and for her to make sure to comb out her hair and visually inspect herself just prior to immersion. This timing would also have to be arranged and confirmed with the mikveh in advance.

Please get back to us with any further questions.

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