Not looking at whites
21 November, 2004
Question:This is about the "not looking"/ignoring aspect of this site.
I was always taught to train myself not to look at toilet paper (esp when white). However, I have just learned that there are women who think they have been taught to ignore stains on white garments, such as the white crotch of tights, by "not looking". Does anyone permit this, or are they confused? Is this is a legitimate "shita"?
hanks!
Answer:There is no obligation to look for stains on white garments except during the seven clean days (shivah neki'im). (There is never an obligation to look at toilet paper.)
However, a woman cannot disregard a stain that she has already found. Since there are many circumstances where a stain would not render her niddah (e.g., size, color – see the article on stains for more details), a specific question should be asked about each stain until the details of these halachot are perfectly clear.
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