We will first discuss the ritual defilement that a woman contracts from menstrual bleeding.
If a woman has a uterine discharge, and her discharge, based on the day it begins, is deemed to be menstrual blood, she becomes ritually defiled, as will be described presently. In order not to ritually defile other people or implements, she must refrain from touching them or letting them touch her. She must remain in her state of separation from contact for exactly seven days, regardless of how long her flow actually lasts. If her discharge has ceased by the end of the seventh day of her menstruation period, she may immerse herself the following evening and thus become rid of this defilement.
During her period of separation, whoever touches her will become ritually defiled and must immerse themselves in a mikveh, after which they will remain defiled until evening, at which time they will become rid of this defilement.
Objects and Transmission
Any object intended for reclining upon, upon which she reclines during her period of menstrual separation will thereby become ritually defiled; and any object intended for sitting upon, upon which she sits will thereby become defiled.
As is the case with a man with a non-seminal discharge, an object upon which a menstruant has reclined or sat transmits ritual defilement even to people and implements, as follows:
- Anyone who touches an object that she reclined upon becomes ritually defiled. In addition, any garments that this person is touching or otherwise wearing while this ritual impurity is being transmitted to him also become ritually defiled. He must therefore immerse his garments and immerse himself in the water of a mikveh, after which he will remain defiled until evening, at which time he will become rid of this defilement.
- Similarly, anyone who touches an object upon which she sat becomes ritually defiled. In addition, any garments that this person is touching or otherwise wearing while this ritual impurity is being transmitted to him also become ritually defiled. He must therefore immerse his garments and immerse himself in the water of a mikveh, after which he will remain ritually defiled until evening, at which time he and his garments will become rid of this defilement.
- Even if he reclines or sits indirectly on an object that she reclined upon or sat upon, he still becomes ritually defiled to the same degree as if he had touched that object.
Similar to a man with a non-seminal discharge, if she spits on someone and her saliva either touches the person himself or he carries it without touching it, he and any garments he is wearing at the time become ritually impure and must be immersed in a mikveh, after which they remain defiled until the evening, at which time they become rid of this defilement.
Furthermore, if someone carries her saliva, menstrual blood, urine, or objects upon which she reclined, sat, or rode, both he and any garments he is wearing at the time become ritually impure and must be immersed in a mikveh, after which they remain defiled until the evening, at which time they become rid of this defilement.
Also, with regard to any part of a saddle other than the seat (e.g., the pommel or the cantle), if she leans on it without sitting on it and then someone touches it, only he himself becomes ritually defiled, not his garments. Thus, he is only required to immerse himself in a mikveh and wait until evening in order to become rid of this defilement; he does not have to immerse his garments.
In contrast, if she merely touches an object (even an object made for reclining or sitting), the touched object transmits defilement only to food and drink, not to people or implements.
In addition, however, the stringency regarding earthenware vessels that applies to a man with a non-seminal discharge also applies to a menstruant: If she moves such a vessel, even indirectly, it becomes ritually defiled.
Prohibition of Relations
You will be taught later that it is forbidden to engage in carnal relations with a menstruant. If a man nonetheless does engage in carnal relations with her, the ritual defilement caused by her menstruation will be transmitted to him and he will be defiled for seven days, counting from the day on which they conducted relations, regardless of on which day of her seven-day count they occurred. He will become defiled exactly in the same way she is defiled: Any object intended for reclining upon, upon which he reclines will thereby become defiled, and so forth, as just stated.
