Hot answers tagged niddah
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The Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer 4:13 says that a ben or bat niddah is 'pagum' (defective). The Beit Shemuel, Chelkat Mechokek and Gra (the major commentaries there) all say that this is not to exclude them from a kohein.
16
Someone asked this of Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, a major posek on these matters in Baltimore. He said without hesitation that it was permissible.
His interpretation of the prohibition on "s'chok vekalut rosh" is "behavior that is suggestive or disinhibiting." I don't see a normal "I love you" as either of those.
15
The Gemara says in Kiddushin that it's derived from a verse "ותהי נדתה עליו" - that even when one is a Nidda, there still is "Haviya" (marriage). Therefore, Kiddushin by a nidda works.
If so, there are no issues of Mamzeirus.
11
Tough question. I know a lot of nerves can be frazzled by this one.
In Temple times, when ritual purity affected all sorts of aspects of daily life, this might be a different question; but today, women's regular use of mikva is only to end the status of nida.
On the one hand, the woman would like to increase her religious observance (a wonderful thing), ...
10
Yes, someone who eats impure food becomes impure themselves (Rambam Shar Avot Hatumah 8:10).
However, this needs some perspective. Niddah is one kind of impurity, and another one is that of a corpse (see Numbers 19). The procedure for purifying oneself of Niddah-impurity is by using a mikvah which can and is done today regularly. The procedure for purifying ...
10
A person whose wife is nidah is still obligated to love her as much as he loves himself; anything he says in order to "lessen the tension in the air" is permitted (Nit'ei Gavriel 33:4 and footnote 8). So I guess to say "I love you" to "lessen the tension in the air" is permitted, but to say it for no reason may be closer to lightheadedness.
9
Basically, if a couple has valid reason to not have children right now, then a pill that prevents menstruation is fine.
Judaism regards having children as a mitzvah, though (as in many things in life) it's complicated and there are caveats. It's recommended -- and according to some, required -- that a couple consult with their rabbi first before using birth ...
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Per Rabbi Shimon Eider's Sefer Hilchos Nidah a lady who is a Nidah should not sing in front of her husband.
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Yes, such classes exist, and are recommended for potential bridegrooms. Speak to the rabbi of any orthodox synagogue, and he should be able to direct you someone who can tutor you in this field. So, I suspect, can the head or mashgiach of any bes midrash. Covered topics are hilchos nida and v'sasos, k'vod ishto, and others, though the exact list varies from ...
8
YD §193 is about this. It is too comprehensive a discussion for me to adequately address here. Some basic points, however:
Blood which comes from a wound - דם מכה - does not render a woman a Niddah. Technically speaking, hymeneal bleeding - דם בתולים - is blood from a wound. However, due to certain Halachic concerns, various amora'im (and some tanna'im ...
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This article from Dr J Menczer indicates that although there is a significantly lower incidence of cervical cancer amongst Jews it is not due to family purity laws, as even Jews who do not observe these laws have a lower incidence of cervical cancer.
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Rabbi Isaac ben Sheshet was asked (Responsum 425) why no rabbinic edict requiring unmarried women to regularly purify themselves in the Mivka was ever enacted in order to minimize the transgressions of those who engage in extra-marital sexual contact. (I note the whole basis of the question is that in the days when women regularly or even semi-regularly were ...
7
When I got married I was told by my Rabbi who gave me a Choson Shmeus that it is the husbands responsibility.
I have no idea what you are talking about when you say "The man often wants to know why, which they are usually reluctant to tell him". I never asked why on a Psak and if I did my Rav would not hesitate to explain.
You say "The man often asks is ...
6
R' Alfasi's laws of Niddah are actually hidden in the second chapter of tractate Shevuos. If you don't have a printed tractate handy, then see pages 767 through 778 of hebrewbooks.org's Sanhedrin-Makkos-Shevuos PDF.
As a courtesy to the reader ש”ס נהרדעא also includes a second copy of R' Alfasi's laws of Niddah inside tractate Niddah. This second copy is ...
6
The Debreciner in Shaalos U'Tshuvos Beer Moshe Chelek 3 Siman 123 says that the Minhag is to allow one to play Dreidel with their wife while she is a Niddah. However he recommends making a Heker* - either by each one using their own Draidel or any other type of Heker. If the entire family is playing and they are not sitting next to each other then you can ...
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The opinion of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein -- which I've heard quoted by several prominent American Ashkenazi authorities on Laws of Nida -- is that the "modesty" required of a woman in her own home, when she's a nida, is not the full set that would apply for going out in public (e.g. hair covering). Rather, it's whatever she would normally feel comfortable ...
5
The short answer is yes there is room for leniency, but as always (and especially in something like this), a competent halachic authority should be consulted.
As I heard it from a rabbi who was offering a review shiur on the subject: The original practice was for a woman to wear libunim, freshly-laundered clothes. The idea was that often garments had all ...
5
This is because it is possible to get a period while pregnant, and it's even possible to get pregnant again while already pregnant (i.e. not twins). This is called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfetation
The halacha takes this into account, and therefor all taharas hamishpacha practices continue like normal during pregnancy.
Someone who has a Chazakah ...
4
Should be pretty much the same issue as playing Monopoly or Scrabble or whatnot with your wife. (Unless you argue that the traditional aspect to it makes it less problematic, which I don't particularly hear. Then again I'm not crazy about the whole dreidel thing anyhow, and will refer you to the responsum of Chasam Sofer lamenting that this holiday is ...
4
I'm going to say that whoever wrote the wikipedia article did not understand the sources they were reading. First let me state the noticeable problems.
According to Halakha a woman may not tell her husband that she is Tameh when she is not (Even HaEzer 77 and Nosei Kelim). It would give her the status of a moredet, which is a person (a mored in the case ...
3
If a woman has no set time of the month but her period always occurs more than x amount of days after her previous period, then for that amount of days she is considered to be awaiting a veset kavu'a - a regular cycle, and she need not observe any days of separation during that time. This is known as the veset of the Terumas Hadeshen, and is mentioned in ...
3
The modern custom of honeymoons raises a significant halachic question, famously addressed by R. Yitzchak Abadi in his sefer Ohr Yitzchak which is the problem of "dam besulim". After the first time a couple is intimate on the wedding night, they are normally required to avoid relations until the wife becomes pure again, as you allude to in your question. But ...
3
There is no sanctioned "vacation" in Judaism or Jewish weddings. The whole concept appears to be a "new invention" even in Christian Society.
However, "honeymoon" periods do exist.
Firstly, there is the week of sheva brachot, where all meals are supposed to be joyous and glad with many members from the community. There is also a custom to invite people ...
3
As Seth commented, Consulting Your Local Orthodox Rabbi is always an appropriate first step because your particular facts could result in a totally different answer than the generalized citations to authorities that are offered here.
As I have reviewed the sources, the rules of appropriate sexual behavior are not very well defined for every situation, and ...
3
There is no straightforward halachic preference in this case. Either the wife, the husband, an intermediary or even no one (ie. leaving the cloth in a mailbox with your name on it) may ask.
Each community and Rabbi has established protocols and practices which should be followed. I recommend that each person consult their local Niddah Posek as to how he ...
2
In Taharah Kehalocha (vol. 1 pg. 201), Rabbi Y. Farkash quotes the Chok Yaakov (OC 479:6) and Yosef Ometz (603) as well as Otzer Haposkim in the the name of other poskim who forbid the husband from listening to his niddah wife's singing. The Shevet Halevi (Shu"t 5:197:4 and Shiurim 6:2 "Vegam B'Zmiros") applies this prohibition even when there are other ...
2
I did not see the show but we have this type of bed. One bed is stationary and is connected to the headboard while the other bed is moveable. The movable bed looks like it's attached to the headboard when you move it but it's not. In reality the movable bed is it's own bed and you could even put it in another room and it wouldn't look strange but the ...
2
There are a number of ways that what are colloquially called leftovers can avoid the status of "shiraei ochel shelah" (remnants of her food). According to the packet my wife got in kallah classes, if eaten on a different plate, the food may be eaten. Similarly, if the wife is not present, the food may be eaten. Both of these are far easier to accomplish ...
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