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

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Found hair after immersion

11 November, 2009
Question:

I am wondering if I did the wrong thing here. I found a loose hair under my breast when getting dressed after tevilah. It might have gotten there as I was preparing . But I reasoned that certainly both breast and hair floated as I went down. I reasoned further that the hair was saturated and did not prevent the water from reaching any part of me. Also I had already put on makeup and I knew it would take some time to contact a Rov and would be hard to get the fresh eyeliner off … so I decided it was okay.

I did not study anywhere near as much as you did, but I have asked many shaylos on this topic over the course of over 30 years and I think I know when I know…if you know what I mean…

Thank you for your wonderful service, which is so helpful when I am embarrassed to call the Rov (because I mostly only call him when I have done something dumb…)


Answer:

It is reasonable to assume that both the hair and your breast floated in the water as you immersed, allowing the water to reach all parts of your body, and thus your tevilah was valid. (One should lean slightly forward during the immersion to make sure the water can reach under the folds of the breasts.) Despite your suspicion that the hair got there before the immersion, it is also possible that the hair did not get there until after you immersed while you were getting dressed, in which case it had no effect on your tevilah at all.

We respect a woman's right to learn from her experiences and trust her own judgment. On the other hand, in a situation of doubt, it is always best to clarify the halacha with a knowledgeable halachic authority.

Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.

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