Niddah - Niddah in The Conservative Movement

Niddah in The Conservative Movement

Conservative authorities teach that the laws of family purity are normative and still in force, including the requirement to refrain from sexual relations during niddah, yet there is a difference of opinions over how much other strictures need to be observed, such as whether there should be complete prohibition on any touching during niddah and whether women are required to count seven "clean" days before immersing in the mikvah.

In December 2006, the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards passed three responsa discussing the extent of Biblical requirements and continuing applicability rabbinic prohibitions concerning niddah for Conservative Jews. Each responsum advocated different standards of observance; two responsa were passed as majority opinions, one by Rabbi Susan Grossman and one by Rabbi Avram Reisner, the third responsum, by Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz was passed as a minority opinion.

According to two majority opinions, by Rabbi Grossman and Rabbi Reisner, the "seven clean days" need not be observed today and women may immerse and resume sexual relations after seven days from the beginning of menstruation, or after its cessation, if it lasts longer than seven days. Rabbi Grossman, a majority opinion, and Rabbi Berkowitz, the minority opinion, ruled that women may rely on their own discretion about when menstruation has ended, and need not routinely engage in bedikah as described above.

Despite the official stance, the practices related to family purity have often not been widely followed by Conservative Jews. However, in an issue of the United Synagogue Review that focused on issues of mikvah and niddah (published in conjunction with the passing of the responsa mentioned above, in Fall/Winter 2006), Rabbi Myron S. Geller, a member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, wrote about an upswing in the observance of the laws of family purity within the Conservative Jewish community:

Conservative Judaism has largely ignored this practice in the past, but recently has begun to reevaluate its silence in this area and to consider the spiritual implications of mikvah immersion for human sexuality and for women. Jews-by-choice tend to recall the mikvah ceremony as an experience of heightened spirituality, leaving a permanent mark on their religious awareness. Some comments I have received about the mikvah include: "It made me feel closer to God"; "An emotional highlight of my life"; "When I came up from the waters all was quiet, my eyes wanted to cry. My soul was still...I am still in a state of peacefulness and love fills me"...These observations, written by converts to Judaism several weeks after the event, reflect the powerful impact of the mikvah ritual on Jews-by-choice and the profound importance they attach to its spiritual significance.

At a time when New Age enthusiasm is persuading numbers of people, disenchanted with traditional religious expression, to seek fresh ways of discovering spiritual meaning in their lives, Conservative Judaism has found in an age-old practice a metaphor for rebirth and renewal that retains its power to uplift, cleanse, and inspire.