Artifact 5: Menstruation
Hamilton, Collin M
Dr. Hinks
BI-218X
The Jewish Orthodox view of menstruation is as impurity. The word “niddah” is a term used to describe a woman that is menstruating. It means to move, or in some translations it is related to the word “menadechem” which means to cast out. With this, the woman must leave for seven days and make her way to a place near her to perform the cleaning ritual. During this time, no man may come near a woman during her time of menstruation. This ritual is said to protect women during her time of menstruating, but some would see this as a repressive way to hold women below men in social standing.
In the Torah, also known as the old testament, niddah is described in the book of Leviticus as having two parts. One of these parts is the Ritual Purity. It is said that a woman must separate for seven days and that anyone or anything she rests on becomes unclean. During this time, a woman must go through seven days without contact and then at the end, she must take the ritual Purity bath or shower. She then ties a piece of cloth on her finger and determines if she is still menstruating or not based off of the color of the cloth after checking.
The second part of Leviticus in reference to niddah, is the aspect of Sexual Relations. Leviticus completely denies all sexual intercourse for a woman that is in the state of niddah. Men are not allowed to come close to a woman with sexual intentions during here time of menstruation. This is enforced by Jewish religious law called kareth which would be charged on both the man and the woman alike.