As defined in the Torah, the term niddah refers to menstruation. The Torah also describes other, similar, situations, such as having a menstrual-type flow at an unexpected time in your cycle or for longer than seven days (zavah), and childbirth (yoledet). Nowadays, there are almost no practical halachic distinctions between niddah, zavah, and yoledet. In common usage, including this course, the term niddah may refer to any of them.

You become niddah as soon as the blood exits the cervix and enters the vagina, even before it leaves your body. You retain that status until you have counted seven clean days and immersed in the mikveh. While you are niddah, you and your husband must refrain from all physical contact.

Vaginal bleeding due to a cut, an abrasion, or some other trauma is called dam makkah and does not make you niddah. We will discuss this in Dam Makkah.

According to Torah Law, uterine bleeding makes you niddah only if it is accompanied by a hargashah (a physical sensation). Under Rabbinic Law, which is equally binding, you become niddah even without such a sensation. However, the presence or absence of hargashah remains relevant in certain situations.

What is a hargashah?

A hargashah is a distinct sensation that accompanies the onset of your period. Premenstrual symptoms (e.g., cramps, headaches) are not hargashot.

Rabbinic sources describe three possible sensations:

• Your whole body trembles.
• You feel your uterus open.
• You feel liquid flowing.

Most women nowadays are not aware of any specific sensation that indicates the onset of menstruation. If you are not aware of any hargashah, you become niddah as soon as you discover that you are actively bleeding.

Some women do experience a genuine hargashah with the onset of menstruation. If you can sense that your period is beginning, you may be in this category – even if you would not describe the sensation precisely as “trembling,” “uterine opening,” or a flow. It’s a good idea to discuss your experience with your kallah teacher or rabbi, or with us, to determine whether it is halachically considered a hargashah. Remember – a hargashah is a feeling that accompanies the onset of your period, not cramps or other premenstrual symptoms that indicate it will begin soon.

What do I do if I feel a hargashah?

If you feel such a hargashah but detect no obvious bleeding, there is a halachic concern that some blood may have left the uterus unnoticed. Therefore, you should do a bedikah as soon as possible. (A bedikah is an internal examination – basically, you wrap a small white cloth around your finger and insert it into the vagina to check for blood. We will discuss bedikot in more detail in Becoming Tehorah.) If you find a forbidden color, you are definitely niddah. If you find a discharge of a permissible color (such as clear, white, or light yellow), you can attribute the sensation to that discharge and are not niddah. If you find a questionable color (such as brown) it should be shown to a rabbi. The most complex (and least common) situation arises if you find no discharge at all. In such a case, where the hargashah can’t be attributed to a permissible discharge, you need to consult a rabbi.

The most commonly reported hargashah is a sensation of liquid flowing. The halachic parameters of this hargashah are subject to different interpretations. According to some authorities, a sensation of liquid exiting your body would be a hargashah. According to others, only a more internal sensation of liquid moving within the vaginal canal would qualify as a hargashah. A feeling of external dampness alone definitely is not a hargashah.

Many women feel a sensation of liquid flowing when they have normal, clear discharges during the month. You should discuss the practical implications of such sensations with your kallah teacher or rabbi, or with us. If you have a sensation that falls within the parameters of hargashah, they may advise you to do bedikah when you feel it. If on three consecutive occasions you find that discharge of a permissible color accompanied the sensation, you have established a chazakah (halachic presumption) that this sensation does not indicate the onset of menstruation. From that point on, you no longer have to do bedikot in response to the sensation, and you do not have to worry about it at all.