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

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Corona: My husband wants me to go to mikveh

30 March, 2020

Question:

I was supposed to go to the mikveh last night. I understand that immersing could be safe (I’m perfectly healthy etc.), but I personally don’t feel comfortable doing it. I want to wait things out. The thing is, my husband disagrees, and he’s been pressuring me to go. What do you suggest?


Answer:

We appreciate the sensitive nature of this question.

Given the situation, it is legitimate for you to make a personal decision not to immerse. Even if your husband insists that you go to mikveh, that does not halachically obligate you to do so.

That being said, not immersing means abstinence for an indefinite period of time, which requires both spouses working together to preserve shalom bayit.

It would be best if the two of you could come to a joint decision about mikveh, looking together at the materials we’ve made available on our site, inquiring about the precautions your local mikveh is taking, and talking out both of your concerns.

You may want to talk personally with a Yoetzet Halacha to discuss some of the halachic and practical aspects of working this out. As always, Yoatzot Halacha are available through our phone hotline or in the community. If you and your husband need more assistance in building healthy communication around this decision, you may also find it helpful to consult with a counseling professional.

May we all merit good health and good news.


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