Interval between hefsek attempts
9 January, 2014
Question:I was doing my hefsek taharah ten minutes before sunset. The first bedikah wasn't good. I waited one minute, and did another bedikah, which was fine. Is that acceptable? Is there a certain amount of time one must wait halachically before doing a second bedikah?
Answer:It is preferable to wait a few minutes in between attempts at a hefsek taharah. Waiting allows for natural lubrication to return, which can prevent irritation from the bedikah. It also gives a more accurate sense of whether the woman has in fact ceased bleeding. For medical reasons, we usually suggest waiting about ten minutes where possible. In a situation such as you describe, shortly before sunset, it would have been desirable to wait a few more minutes.
Even so, your second bedikah does count as a hefsek taharah, since it did show that bleeding was not ongoing at that very moment prior to sunset. You may continue to count your clean days.
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