Laws of chupat niddah
25 July, 2004
Question:I have some specific questions about chuppat niddah…
Please can you send me explanations about these 3 questions:
a) what changes to the ceremony need to be made?
b) if the couple cannot be left together on the wedding night what does together mean? in the same house? in the same room?
c) when defining chuppat niddah – For how long after the bride's period is she considered niddah due to the fact that she is not married? Or does it not make any difference?
Many thanks
Answer:a) A man is not allowed to hand anything to his wife while she is niddah. Many halachic authorities permit the groom to give the ring to the bride in the normal fashion, because at this point in the ceremony they are not yet married. He should, however, be careful not to touch her. Once he has handed her the ring, they are married and the harchakot apply. Therefore, the ketubah should be handed to the bride via another person. The groom cannot hand the cup of wine to the bride.The bride and groom cannot drink from the same cup of wine unless someone else drinks between them. Specific arrangements should be worked out with the mesader kidushin (the rabbi who is officiating at the ceremony).
b) The husband and wife cannot be left alone together. This applies to yichud following the chupah and remains in effect until the bride has immersed in the mikveh. There are a number of possible solutions, ranging from sleeping in different houses to staying in the same house but having a child between the ages of six and nine remain with them, or staying at a house where there are other adults. Once again, the specific details and requirements should be discussed with the mesader kidushin.
c) The bride remains niddah until all bleeding has ceased as determined by a hefsek taharah, she has counted seven days with valid bedikot, and she has properly prepared and immersed in the mikveh. If she did not immerse before the wedding, there is no five-day minimum.
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