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Preparing for the Mikveh: Difference between revisions
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# Dry skin should be soaked and rubbed to remove any loose skin. Some say that women should not make it her practice to remove any hard skin with a pumice stone. <ref>The Laws of Niddah p. 349. Shiurei Shevet Halevi 198:22(4) writes that the reason why a woman shouldn't have a consistent practice to dry all hard skin is that if she does she so she must continue her practice and then if she forgets one time there is a serious question that should be asked to a rabbi. See Shevet Halevi 3:127.</ref> | # Dry skin should be soaked and rubbed to remove any loose skin. Some say that women should not make it her practice to remove any hard skin with a pumice stone. <ref>The Laws of Niddah p. 349. Shiurei Shevet Halevi 198:22(4) writes that the reason why a woman shouldn't have a consistent practice to dry all hard skin is that if she does she so she must continue her practice and then if she forgets one time there is a serious question that should be asked to a rabbi. See Shevet Halevi 3:127.</ref> | ||
====Nails==== | ====Nails==== | ||
# The minhag is to cut the nails before tevilah.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 198:18</ref> If she forgot to cut her nails before the tevilah she should cut them and go again | # The minhag is to cut the nails before tevilah.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 198:18</ref> If she forgot to cut her nails before the tevilah she should cut them and go to the mikveh again<Ref>Rama 198:20</ref> without a bracha.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan 200:1, Badei Hashulchan 200:5</ref> If they were clean and she didn't realize until the next morning a rav should be consulted. <Ref>Taz 198:21 is lenient only after the fact if the nails were clean and she was with her husband, whereas the Shach 198:25 is strict even in such a case. Laws of Niddah v. 2 p. 311 writes that a rav should be consulted. Binat Adam 119:14 and Ben Ish Chai (Shana Bet, Shemini no. 4) agree with the Taz. | ||
* The Binat Adam 199:14 understood the Taz as saying that if the nail was clean after she came out of the mikveh even though she wasn't sure it was clean beforehand we're not concerned since it is only a safek derabbanan. Taharat Habayit v. 3 p. 84 quotes Rav Shlomo Kluger who discussed that the Taz would even being lenient if the nail was dirty after the tevilah but most achronim don't accept this even according to the Taz. | |||
* The Sidrei Tahara 198:39 points out that the idea of the Taz that if she didn't know if her nails were clean before and she forgot to cut them she can be lenient since it is only a question of a safek derabbanan is subject to dispute. In Sidrei Tahara 199:40 he discusses at length if you could be lenient on a safek derabbanan if originally there was a chazaka of tumah. Taharat Habayit v. 3 p. 84 quotes achronim who support the idea of the Taz based on the Rash (Mikvaot 2:2) that since the tevilah worked on a Biblical level the derabbanan safek doesn't begin. See the Pri Hasadeh 4:104 who relies on this Rash regarding bandages. See Sidrei Tahara and Taharat Habayit for elaboration of this complex topic.</ref> According to Sephardim, if she forgot to cut her nails and they were clean she doesn't need to go to the mikveh again.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 198:18 rules that the nail itself isn't a chatzitza. Rav Ovadia Yosef in Taharat Habayit (v. 3 p. 83) writes that she doesn't need to go again if she forgot to cut her nails as long as they were clean. However, the Ben Ish Chai (Shana Bet, Shemini no. 4) holds like the Rama that she should go again.</ref> | |||
# If there was dirt under a nail where the nail corresponds to the top of the finger it isn't considered a chatzitza, whereas if there's dirt on the top part of the nail which is beyond the finger it is a chatzitza.<ref>The Tosefta Mikvaot 6:5 distinguishes between whether the dirt is under the part of the nail that corresponds to the top of the finger which it wouldn't be a chatzitza and beyond that. The Rosh (Mikvaot no. 26) and Rashba (Torat Habayit Hakatzar 32a) hold like this Tosefta. The Rambam (Mikvaot 2:14), however, argues that the nail isn't a chatzitza either way. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch 198:18 rule like the Rosh.</ref> Dough or mud beneath the nail is always a chatzitza.<ref>Mishna Mikvaot 9:2 writes that dough under the nail is a chatzitza. The Rambam (Mikvaot 2:1) equates mud with dough. The Rashba (Chullin 107, cited by Bet Yosef 198:18) explains that dough or mud stick and are a chatzitza but dirt which a woman removes easily isn't a chatzitza if she decided to leave it there and it was on the bottom of the nail corresponding to the finger. The Taz 198:19 rules that mud is a chatzitza under the nail. </ref> | # If there was dirt under a nail where the nail corresponds to the top of the finger it isn't considered a chatzitza, whereas if there's dirt on the top part of the nail which is beyond the finger it is a chatzitza.<ref>The Tosefta Mikvaot 6:5 distinguishes between whether the dirt is under the part of the nail that corresponds to the top of the finger which it wouldn't be a chatzitza and beyond that. The Rosh (Mikvaot no. 26) and Rashba (Torat Habayit Hakatzar 32a) hold like this Tosefta. The Rambam (Mikvaot 2:14), however, argues that the nail isn't a chatzitza either way. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch 198:18 rule like the Rosh.</ref> Dough or mud beneath the nail is always a chatzitza.<ref>Mishna Mikvaot 9:2 writes that dough under the nail is a chatzitza. The Rambam (Mikvaot 2:1) equates mud with dough. The Rashba (Chullin 107, cited by Bet Yosef 198:18) explains that dough or mud stick and are a chatzitza but dirt which a woman removes easily isn't a chatzitza if she decided to leave it there and it was on the bottom of the nail corresponding to the finger. The Taz 198:19 rules that mud is a chatzitza under the nail. </ref> | ||
# | ## If a woman's finger is bloated making it is impossible to cut or clean under the nails and because the finger is bloated the dirt isn't seen it isn't a chatzitza.<ref>Mordechai Shevuot no. 748, Shulchan Aruch YD 198:19</ref> | ||
# If she forgot to cut the toenails it isn't a chatzitza after the fact since women don't care about the look of their toenails as much as their fingernails.<ref>Pitchei Teshuva 198:10 quoting Chamudei Doniel. Ben Ish Chai (Shana Bet, Shemini no. 4) agrees. Shiurei Shevet Halevi (cited by Taharat Habayit v. 3 p. 91) is lenient despite the fact that the Raavan (cited by Shach 198:25) writes that there's no distinction between fingernails and toenails.</ref> | |||
====Decorative Substances==== | ====Decorative Substances==== | ||
# Makeup should be removed before tevilah. <ref>The Rashba ([http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8922&st=&pgnum=401 Torat Habayit Hakatzar 32a]) writes that hair dye isn't a chatzitza for three reasons. 1) Since the women don't want to remove it it isn't considered a chatzitza if it doesn't cover a majority of the hair. 2) They actively want it there so that it becomes like part of the body. 3) As it is very thin it isn't considered an interposition between the body and the water at all. The Rashba (Meyuchasot LRamban no. 124) in a letter writes that the Ramban agreed with his opinion on this matter. The Rosh (Mikvaot no. 27), Rabbenu Yerucham (Netiv 26 ch. 5), Tur and Shulchan Aruch 198:17 agree. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch even extend this to dye on the face as well. | # Makeup should be removed before tevilah. <ref>The Rashba ([http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8922&st=&pgnum=401 Torat Habayit Hakatzar 32a]) writes that hair dye isn't a chatzitza for three reasons. 1) Since the women don't want to remove it it isn't considered a chatzitza if it doesn't cover a majority of the hair. 2) They actively want it there so that it becomes like part of the body. 3) As it is very thin it isn't considered an interposition between the body and the water at all. The Rashba (Meyuchasot LRamban no. 124) in a letter writes that the Ramban agreed with his opinion on this matter. The Rosh (Mikvaot no. 27), Rabbenu Yerucham (Netiv 26 ch. 5), Tur and Shulchan Aruch 198:17 agree. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch even extend this to dye on the face as well. | ||
