As Yom Kippur comes in, we pause our study of the hefsek taharah and turn to practical halachot that come up more often than you'd expect.

A woman beginning or completing the process of taharah

A hefsek taharah on Yom Kippur

A woman who needs to perform a hefsek taharah on Yom Kippur may do so. Although washing is forbidden on Yom Kippur, she may wash only the necessary areas, in cold water, to confirm that old blood does not appear on her hefsek. If she is in the middle of the seven clean days, she performs a bedikah as usual.

Immersion on Yom Kippur — no

Since marital relations are forbidden by Torah law on Yom Kippur, mikvaot are not open on Yom Kippur night. If a woman's immersion falls on Yom Kippur, she postpones it until after the fast.

In that case, once she has completed the seven clean days, it is advisable that she switch to colored underwear, even though she will not immerse until the following night. This isn't an obligation, just advice for avoiding problems with stains. She need not perform further bedikot.

Preparing for the mikveh

Mikveh preparations cannot be done on Yom Kippur itself. If she wishes, a woman can prepare the day before Yom Kippur. She will then need a short preparation after the fast as well:

Alternatively, she can choose to do one thorough preparation after the fast.

It is worth checking the mikveh's hours in advance to plan accordingly, and making sure there is enough time to eat and drink before the preparation.

A woman who is already tehorah

The Shulchan Aruch rules that a couple are forbidden to touch on Yom Kippur, as they are while the woman is a niddah. A couple may also not sleep in the same bed on Yom Kippur.

On the night of Yom Kippur all the harchakot are kept, even when the woman is tehorah, including separate beds. During the day of Yom Kippur many poskim hold that one may be lenient with the harchakot, but affectionate touch is forbidden then as well.

Whether the other harchakot are observed (refraining from passing objects to one another, for instance) is a machloket. Each couple can clarify with their rav.

Women in fertility treatment

A number of fertility treatments and conditions often justify drinking in shiurim on Yom Kippur:

A woman undergoing any fertility treatment should turn to a rav familiar with both the halachic and the medical aspects of fertility treatment, to establish whether she should drink in shiurim.

Women who are pregnant or nursing

By the letter of the law, pregnant and nursing women are obligated to fast. In practice they are often permitted to drink, and even to eat, in shiurim.

Every pregnant or nursing woman is advised to speak with her doctor and with her rav about whether she can fast, or whether she should drink or eat in shiurim.