Avoiding looking in shivah neki’im
6 July, 2015
Question:Are you obligated to look at your underwear, panty liner, toilet paper, etc. during shiva nekiim? My bedikot have been clear. I have been avoiding looking at my panty liners because I had issues with spotting before. I have to wear panty liners because I have urinary issues. Prior to this birth any spotting I found and showed to a rabbi was ok and did not make me niddah, but I’m still nervous.
Answer:Mazal tov on the birth of your child!
A woman is supposed to look at her undergarments during the clean days. The undergarments are white specifically so that stains will show up clearly on them. However, stains found on a pantiliner may be treated leniently. In your case, with urinary issues, wearing pantiliners during the clean days is permissible, although it means stains will be treated leniently. For details, please see our site’s article on Stains.
There is no requirement to look at toilet paper, even during the clean days. We advise either not looking or deliberately waiting at least a few seconds (ideally, fifteen seconds) between urinating and wiping, at which point stains on toilet paper can be treated leniently. For more information on this, please see our site’s article “Toilet Paper.”
On a side note, often women suffer unnecessarily with urinary issues. Should the issue persist, please see your physician or a urogynecological physiotherapist for treatment.
Please write back with any further questions.
This response has been updated to reflect the rulings of our current Rabbinic Supervisor, Rav Kenneth Auman, regarding waiting before wiping.
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