You've Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

[gnomi]

Welcome to a new feature here in Nomi-ville: periodic peeks into the AskNomi mailbox.


Why would a mikvah shopping site have black panty-liners for sale?

OK, this veers into the realm of traditional Jewish observances of Family Purity, so please bear with me here.

When a woman menstruates, she enters a status known as niddah. She remains in niddah until she goes to the mikvah, the ritual bath. From the day that her menstrual period ends, the woman counts 7 "clean" days, days on which she inspects closely for any trace of menstrual blood, as any trace would invalidate her "clean" days and require her to start the 7-day count again. After seven "clean" days, the woman goes to the mikvah and is no longer niddah. Custom is to wear underwear with a white crotch panel so that any trace of discharge can be seen and analyzed to see if it invalidates her count.

So, where do the black panty-liners come in? Well, during the other 2 weeks of the month (the ones that aren't her clean week nor her menstrual week), she doesn't want to see any trace of discharge, as it could make her niddah if the rabbi determines that the spot is, in fact, blood. And, as tradition has passed to us today, the rule is that if you can't see it and determine its color, it doesn't count. Therefore, a tradition has arisen for women to wear underwear with dark-colored crotch panels to prevent them from being able to see any spots. And if a woman does not own any underwear that fits the bill, she can use a dark-colored panty-liner that serves the same purpose - obscuring any stains that could be blood.

ETA: This site has a discussion of the leniencies that the rabbis use in terms of identifying spots to prevent women from being continually niddah.


Have a question? Ask!

Comments

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

the rule is that if you can't see it and determine its color, it doesn't count. Therefore, a tradition has arisen for women to wear underwear with dark-colored crotch panels to prevent them from being able to see any spots.

This appeals to me on so many levels because it suggests a certain humor about the situation: "I don't want to know; here's a completely kosher way of ensuring I don't. I know what I'm doing but, hey, G-d and I, we understand each other." This is one of the reasons I love Judaism: its practical and completely human approach.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I've always appreciated the practical approach to life that Judaism has. Yes, there are restrictions, but they've got the space to make life livable within the restrictions. One of my favorite is the whole "bugs aren't kosher but locusts are" thing - if there's no food because the locusts have eaten it all, we're allowed to eat the locusts.

*CHOMP* *ahem*

And in many cases the rabbis' interpretations of the rules go out of their way to find the leniency rather than the stricture. I know a rabbi who says he wishes that people would ask him more questions than trying to interpret the laws on their own, because most people - in his experience - are more likely to "rule" more strictly than they'd have to in most cases.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Of course, this prompts a related question that makes me a little queasy. Are there actually women who show their stained undies to a rabbi for a ruling? I don't even know that I'd feel comfortable showing them to my husband (if I had one). That just seems...I dunno, a little extreme. After all, as women and as ourselves, we generally have a better handle on the workings of our bodies and can recognize and distinguish one thing from another.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for every community everywhere, but I was taught that you bring it to the rabbi's wife (or the mikvah lady) and explain the issue to her. She then brings it, as your "shaliach" (emissary), to the rabbi and explains the situation. This way, you are spared the embarrassment of bringing your underwear to the rabbi personally.