Preparing for the Mikveh: Difference between revisions

# The minhag is that the day before the mikveh the woman shouldn’t knead so that they don’t get stuck under her nails.or elsewhere.

# The minhag is that on the day before a woman does to the mikveh she doesn’t eat meat.<ref>The Rosh (Mikvaot no. 35) cites the minhag not to eat meat the day before she goes to mikveh in order to prevent a piece of meat getting stuck between the teeth and being a chatzitza. THe Rabbenu Yerucham (Netiv 26:5 cited by Bet Yosef 198:24) also records the minhag. Shulchan Aruch YD 198:24 records the minhag.</ref>

## After the fact if a woman ate meat the day before going to the mikveh she may still go to the mikveh.<Ref>Taz 198:25</ref>

===Timing===

# Initially a woman should do her washing immediately<ref>Badei Hashulchan 199:38 writes that initially she should do the preparations at night right before tevilah as close as possible. However, after the fact if she couldn't go to the mikveh a few hours later that night she doesn't need to the preparations again. Taharat Habayit (v. 3 p. 246) quotes some who say that within 3 hours is sufficiently close. </ref> prior to going to the mikveh. A proper minhag is that a woman start her washing for the mikveh at the end of the day and continue into the night until she goes to the mikveh. <ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 199:3.