Nidda (Judaism)

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Nidda (also Nidah; Hebrew: נִדָּה) is a Hebrew name that literally means demarcation. This means the demarcation between the ritually impure and the pure . Abraham ibn Ezra's opinion was that it was related to the word Menaddekem , " cast out".

However, the term Nidda in Judaism is mainly related to the regulations and rituals during menstruation . A woman who menstruates is considered a nidda until she has performed the rituals necessary to restore her to be clean. Nidda is also the name of a treatise in the Talmud that deals specifically with this topic (see: Nidda (Mischnatraktat) ).

The main category of Jewish law that deals with sexual matters is also named in this way (family purity ; Hebrew Taharat ha-Mishpacha ).

Biblical mention

The biblical rules from Leviticus specify that a menstruating woman should be separated from other people for seven days. Everything she sat or lay on was also considered unclean, just like anyone who came into contact with these things, or the woman, during her period was considered unclean until evening and bathed in a mikvah . A man who has sexual intercourse with a woman during her menstruation is also called ritually unclean for seven days, while with normal contact it remains for one day. Leviticus continues to prohibit men from having sexual intercourse with a woman during her menstruation. If this rule is broken, the man and woman should be expelled from the rest of the population.

Classical and Medieval Rabbinical Literature

Although there are different biblical regulations for normal menstruation (nidda) and abnormal (zava), these two merged during antiquity , and the Talmud reports that menstruating women always met the requirements for both conditions. The reason for this is not known, but it has often been the subject of debate among medieval Jewish commentators. Due to the amalgamation, it has become a practice to wait seven days after menstruating and then bathe in a mikveh to cleanse yourself, whether normal or abnormal.

Beginning of menstruation

According to rabbinical rules, a woman becomes nidda as soon as she becomes aware that blood is leaking from her abdomen, whether it is due to menstruation, childbirth, sexually transmitted diseases or other reasons. Even if the menstruation began before the woman noticed the blood, the woman is only considered nidda from the point in time at which she notices it. Only then do the regulations come into force, whereby people who touched her or had sexual contact with her also count as nidda.

If the woman spots a blood stain but is unsure whether the blood is from her abdomen, there is a series of complicated criteria established by the rabbinical court to determine whether the woman is considered a nidda or not. The woman is not obliged to know these criteria herself, but she should seek advice from a rabbi who has learned them.

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