Remarriage after menopause
6 August, 2014
Question:I have a theoretical question. If a post–menopausal woman is getting married, and she fully observed the laws of taharat hamispacha in a previous marriage including immersion after her last period, would it be necessary for her to immerse prior to a subsequent marriage? If so would she say the bracha? (I am questioning the need for the bracha as I am unsure of what miitzvah she would be observing.) Thanks.
Answer:Every bride, including one who is marrying after menopause, should perform a hefsek taharah and observe shivah neki'im, including at least one bedikah on each of the clean days, before immersing. This even applies to a bride who is tehorah (having immersed subsequent to her last menstrual period), since there is an additional halachic concern that a bride may experience slight uterine bleeding due to the excitement of the upcoming wedding. This bleeding is called dam chimud. Since the immersion is mandatory, a bracha is said.
She should omit the moch dachuk, since it may be irritating. If she finds the bedikot uncomfortable, such a woman should be in touch with us or with a rabbi about ways to make the process easier.
This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional.
For further questions or comments:
The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.
Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.