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

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Cracked nail

28 October, 2015

Question:

I cut my finger this week, including the nail. The cut in the nail will take weeks–months to grow out. Is any part of the nail now a chatzitza? I am keeping it covered with nail polish to prevent any further cracking. Should I remove the nail polish the next time I need to prepare for mikvah?


Answer:

As long as the nail is not hanging off and/or about to fall off, it is not considered a chatzitzah. If it is hanging off, you should gently and carefully cut off as much of the hanging nail as possible without injuring yourself.

We do recommend removing the nail polish before mikvah, as it is best to remove all barriers on the body before immersion.

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

B'Hatzlacha!


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