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

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Pumice stone and dry feet

30 September, 2014
Question:

When preparing for the mikva, should one use a pumice stone on their feet? Are dry feet a hatzitza? I find that there is nothing hanging off dry feet, but once I use a pumice stone the dry skin starts peeling and makes more of a problem.


Answer:

You do not need to use a pumice stone for dry skin on your feet, particularly if using it causes your skin to peel.

However, if you regularly use a pumice stone as part of your usual foot care routine, independent of mikveh, then you should also use it when preparing for mikveh.

While dry feet are not a chatzitzah, you should soak your feet in warm water during your preparation (and/or use moisturizing cream on your feet for a few days prior to mikveh) to soften any hard skin before immersion.

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.

Accessibility Toolbar