ANTIQUITY

Niddah and the Mikveh

The third book for the Torah, Leviticus was written somewhere between the 6th and 4th century BCE. Chapter 15 lays out the laws of tumah (spiritual impurity) and taharah (spiritual purity). It includes things like ‘wet dreams’, but also uterine bleeding. This most commonly applies to menstruation, but also includes bleeding after birth and miscariage. Leviticus 15:19 says:

“And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days, and whosever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even”

The customs surrounding what a person who is bleeding from their vagina must do have become known as “niddah” which literally means “moved” or “separated”, referring to the seclusion laws. Whilst someone is menstruating, they cannot touch or have sex with their spouse, among other restrictions. After a person has finished menstruating, they must visit a mikveh–a ritual bath–which restores them with spiritual purity. 

Niddah is still practised today in many Jewish communities. It is a controversial topic, as many people believe that the menstrual seclusion furthers misogyny, is overly controlling over women’s lives and can interfere with a marital relationship. However many people with menstruate find it a positive practice, appreciating how it helps them tune into their body’s natural cycle and strengthen their marital relationship.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A woman partially immersed in a mikveh, Seder Birkat ha-mazon, Braginsky Collection (1741)