✦ ❖ ✦ D A A T · L E V E L 3 — S Y N T H E S I S / R E V I E W ✦ ❖ ✦
Siman 187 — A Woman Who Bleeds From Relations (Ro'ah Machmat Tashmish): Makor or Wound, Diagnosing the Source, and the Rama's Leniency
דיני רואה מחמת תשמיש
The three times and the sequence of husbands, the tube examination (בדיקת שפופרת — distinguishing מקור / צדדין), what one attributes (וסת, מכה, ספק ספיקא), the credibility of "I have a wound", refuah and bizman haze, the Rama's leniency (we no longer force a divorce)
Structured review, master grid, fast memorization
Source: Shulchan Aroukh, Yoreh De'ah קפ״ז — 14 seifim
Nossei kelim: ש״ך (Shach) · ט״ז (Taz) · פתחי תשובה (Pithei Teshuva) · סדרי טהרה (Sidrei Tahara)
Compiled by: הרב יוסף חיים סממה · DAAT
For students who have mastered Levels 1 and 2
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📑 Outline of the synthesis
- The axiom: diagnosing the source — makor or makah / tzedadin
- The 3 reflex questions: how many times · where the blood comes from · can one attribute
- The master grid: the three times, the tube examination, what one attributes, credibility, refuah
- The 5 golden rules
- Mnemonic — the "MAKOR" memory aid
- The 4 classic pitfalls
- Recap of the 14 seifim — one line each
- Final flashcard
1. The axiom: diagnosing the source — makor or makah / tzedadin
The starting point:
Siman 187 begins from a fact: a woman sees blood from relations (machmat tashmish), immediately ("בכדי שתושיט ידה ותקנח"). This raises a twofold problem: she becomes niddah, and if it recurs, the concern that the blood comes from the makor (the womb) would render her forbidden to this husband. The whole siman therefore seeks to diagnose the source — מן המקור (uterine, forbidding) vs מן הצדדין or from a makah (a wound, the walls — which do not forbid) — and to be lenient wherever possible. Three times in a row → forbidden to this husband; but the Rama tempers: "יש אומרים שאין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — today, we no longer force a divorce.
| Source of the blood | Status | Marker |
|---|
| מן המקור (uterine) | Forbidding; 3 times → forbidden to this husband | Mehaber seif 1-2 |
| מן הצדדין / מכה (wound, walls) | Does not forbid; one attributes the blood to the wound | Mehaber seif 2, 5 |
| Today (Rama) | We no longer force a divorce — guidance by the Rav | Rama seif 1 |
💡 The marker: this siman does not ask "how much" of a mixture, but "where does the blood come from?". The whole effort is to diagnose the source (makor vs makah / tzedadin) and, absent certainty, to attribute the blood to an innocent cause (a nearby וסת, a known wound) or to reason by ספק ספיקא. This is a matter where medicine and halacha meet: it is never decided alone, but with a Rav and a physician.
2. The 3 reflex questions
■ HOW MANY TIMES? (ג׳ פעמים) — a single bleeding machmat tashmish makes her niddah, but does not forbid her to this husband. Three times in a row → forbidden to this husband; one considers another husband, and the examination. Rama: today "אין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — we no longer force a divorce (seif 1).
↓ we seek the source
■ WHERE DOES THE BLOOD COME FROM? (מקור / צדדין) — the tube examination (בדיקת שפופרת) (a tube with a מכחול wrapped in מוך, inserted to where "השמש דש") sought to decide: blood at the tip → מן המקור → forbidden; otherwise → מן הצדדין → permitted. Today this diagnosis goes through a physician (cervix, wound) and a Rav (seif 2).
↓ can one attribute?
■ CAN ONE ATTRIBUTE? (תולין) — relations סמוך לוסת → one attributes to the וסת, not "machmat tashmish". A known makah at that spot → one attributes the blood to the wound; and depending on the case, one reasons by ספק ספיקא (seif 4-5).
⚖ The sequence of husbands and the examination (seif 1-3)
Bleeding machmat tashmish 3 times with a first husband → she separates and marries another; if the same 3 times with the second → a third; if the same with the third → forbidden to all until an examination. The Taz (s.k. 2-3) explains "אין כל האצבעות שוות" — the husbands differ, hence the sequence. She may examine herself under the first husband after 3 times (a leniency for him); and where there is צער / כאב during relations, according to all one relies on the examination with the first (Ritzva). In practice, all this is decided with a Rav, and the diagnosis of the source with a physician.
3. The master grid: the three times, the tube examination, what one attributes, credibility, refuah
An absolute must to memorize. Basis: Mehaber seifim 1-14, read with the Rama, the Taz (s.k. 1-17), the Shach (s.k. 1) and the Pitchei Teshuva.
| Situation | Decisive criterion | Result |
|---|
| רמ״ת 3 times in a row (this husband) |
Recurrence; sequence of husbands |
🔴 Forbidden to this husband; Rama: we no longer force a divorce |
| Tube examination: blood at the tip |
מן המקור |
🔴 Forbidden (uterine blood) |
| Tube examination: not at the tip |
מן הצדדין |
🟢 Permitted (blood of the walls) — even bizman haze |
| Relations סמוך לוסת |
One attributes to the וסת |
🟢 Attributed to the וסת, not "machmat tashmish" |
| Known makah at that spot |
Attribute to the wound; else ספק ספיקא |
🟢 One attributes to the wound (per וסת קבוע / ספק) |
| Credibility: "I have a wound" / "I am certain" |
She is believed |
🟢 Pure (טהורה) — guided by the Rav |
| Refuah / bizman haze |
Before the matter is established (חזקה); physician |
🟡 Treatment possible; today we no longer permit by certain means — medical diagnosis |
| A betulah who bleeds at the first relations |
דם בתולים until relations without bleeding |
🟢 Presumption of דם בתולים; then 3 times → חזקה of רמ״ת |
📌 Key reading: in רמ״ת, first ask how many times (once = niddah alone; 3 times = forbidden to this husband), then where the blood comes from (makor = forbidding; tzedadin / makah = one attributes). Recall the Rama's leniency ("אין אנו נוהגין להוציאה") and the credibility of "I have a wound". And everywhere: a contact bleeding is first of all medical — a Rav and a physician.
4. The 5 golden rules
- רמ״ת 3 times → forbidden to this husband. But the Rama: "יש אומרים שאין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — today we no longer force a divorce (Mehaber + Rama seif 1).
- Diagnose the source: makor vs makah / tzedadin. The tube examination sought to decide (blood at the tip = מן המקור, forbidden; otherwise מן הצדדין, permitted); today it is the medical diagnosis (Mehaber seif 2).
- Attribute wherever possible. Relations סמוך לוסת → attribute to the וסת; a known makah → attribute to the wound; failing that, ספק ספיקא (Mehaber + Rama seif 4-5).
- "I have a wound" / "I am certain" → believed. She is believed to say she has a wound or that this blood is not from the makor → טהורה (Mehaber seif 6).
- Refuah and bizman haze. One treats before the matter is established (חזקה); today (bizman haze) we no longer permit by certain old means — but medicine diagnoses the source (Mehaber seif 8-9).
5. Mnemonic — the "MAKOR" memory aid
"M-A-K-O-R" — the central question of the siman: where does the blood come from?
- Makor or makah: diagnose the source (uterine = forbidding; wound / walls = one attributes).
- Amount of times? Once = niddah; three times in a row → forbidden to this husband.
- Kavoua (וסת) and makah: one attributes (תולין) to the nearby וסת or to a known wound.
- One believes her: "I have a wound" / "I am certain" → believed, טהורה.
- Refuah and Rav + physician: one treats, one diagnoses the source — never alone.
The ladder of diagnosing the source
- tube examination — blood at the tip → מן המקור: forbidden
- tube examination — not at the tip → מן הצדדין: permitted (even bizman haze)
- nearby וסת / known makah → one attributes (תולין); failing that, ספק ספיקא
- today → the medical diagnosis (cervix, wound) with a Rav — never self-assessment
6. The 4 classic pitfalls
❌ Pitfall 1 — Self-diagnosis: a contact bleeding is never to be assessed by oneself. Determining whether the source is the makor (uterine, forbidding) or a makah / the tzedadin (wound, cervix, walls — which do not forbid) requires a medical diagnosis (cervix, polyp, ectropion…) and a halachic decision. This is precisely where medicine and halacha meet: one does not decide alone.
❌ Pitfall 2 — Confusing makor and makah / tzedadin: the whole siman rests on this distinction. Blood מן המקור (uterine) forbids; blood מן הצדדין or from a makah (a wound, the walls) does not — hence, often, the leniency. Yesterday's tube examination (blood at the tip of the tube = מן המקור) and today's medical diagnosis aim at the same goal: to determine the source. Confusing them means forbidding wrongly or permitting wrongly.
❌ Pitfall 3 — Ignoring the Rama's leniency: one might think a רמ״ת 3 times always imposes separation. But the Rama rules "יש אומרים שאין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — today we no longer force a divorce. The couple is guided by a Rav, who relies on the examination and the medical diagnosis to permit the husband wherever possible.
❌ Pitfall 4 — Trivializing a contact bleeding: bleeding tied to relations is never "a detail". It has a medical dimension as much as a halachic one: it may signal a condition (cervix, polyp) that belongs to a physician, and it engages a status of taharah that belongs to a Rav. To minimize it is to fail both the care of the body and the halacha.
For the halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav, and for the diagnosis of the source, a competent physician (gynecologist).
7. Recap of the 14 seifim — one line each
| Seif | Topic | The essential |
|---|
| 1 | רמ״ת 3 times → forbidden to this husband | A woman who sees machmat tashmish 3 times in a row → forbidden to this husband: she separates and marries another. Rama: "יש אומרים שאין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — today we no longer force a divorce. |
| 2 | How she examines — the tube examination | A tube (שפופרת) with a מכחול wrapped in מוך, inserted to where "השמש דש": blood at the tip → מן המקור → forbidden; otherwise → מן הצדדין → permitted. "אף בזמן הזה יש לסמוך על בדיקה זו" (today: physician + Rav). |
| 3 | Examination under the first husband; pain | She may examine herself under the first after 3 times (a leniency for him); some hold she is forbidden to the first from the third tashmish even by examination; one relies on the first opinion to be lenient; and if there is צער / כאב, according to all one relies on the examination (Ritzva). |
| 4 | סמוך לוסת → attribute to the וסת | Relations close to the וסת: one attributes the blood to the וסת, and not to "machmat tashmish". |
| 5 | Makah → attribute to it; ספק ספיקא | A makah at that spot → one attributes to the blood of the wound; if the blood differs, one does not attribute. Rama: with a וסת קבוע one attributes outside the וסת; without a וסת קבוע, if it is a ספק → ספק ספיקא (perhaps tzedadin; and even if makor, perhaps from the wound); but if certainly מן המקור → one does not attribute (without a וסת קבוע) unless it is certain the wound bleeds. |
| 6 | Credibility: "I have a wound" | She is believed to say "I have a wound at that spot" or "I am certain this blood is not from the makor" → טהורה. |
| 7 | Crevices and cracks; localized pain | When examining all the חורים וסדקים, if she finds only at one spot on the side → one attributes to a wound on that side; especially if she feels pain there on touch and nowhere else. |
| 8 | Refuah (treatment) | Treatment possible before the matter is established (חזקה); afterward some hesitate; some permit if a Jewish physician says she is healed; if her sightings ceased through the treatments and it is evident they worked, one relies even on a non-Jewish physician. |
| 9 | חררת דם; bizman haze | Suddenly frightened, a clot of blood (חררת דם) fell and she was healed → permitted; if she again sees machmat tashmish even once → not healed; bizman haze we no longer permit by this means (Ramban / Raavad); but one does not separate her from the husband after this treatment until she sees again. |
| 10 | Seen at the moment of tashmish | Seen at the very moment of tashmish: permitted a second time after taharah; the logic of the concern once (the night of immersion), דילוג, etc. Rama: 3 times at the first relations after each immersion → forbidden (impossible to immerse and serve). |
| 11 | After six months; a וסת of רמ״ת | Seen machmat tashmish and then, after six months, again → permitted (no fixed וסת in 3 וסתות); she is concerned the last time; if she fixed a וסת of רמ״ת 3 times → permitted between the וסתות, abstaining on the days of the וסת until uprooting (עקירה) 3 times. |
| 12 | A third party (שליש) and witnesses | רמ״ת 3 times: it is forbidden to keep her (to defer the divorce, in former times) except through a third party (שליש), and he comes to her only with witnesses. |
| 13 | Betulah; דם בתולים | A betulah who bleeds at the first relations → one presumes דם בתולים until relations without bleeding; then 3 times → חזקה of רמ״ת. Rama: even without a cessation, if there is no pain at all, like all women (not דם בתולים — Maharam Padua); a man who bleeds (פי האמה) → one attributes to him (Rashba; cf. ק״צ ס״כ). |
| 14 | Wounds preventing immersion | A woman with wounds / injuries who cannot immerse → she separates (תצא) from the husband, so as not to prevent him from פריה ורביה. |
8. Final flashcard
| Question | Reflex answer | Source |
|---|
| Bleeding machmat tashmish, how many times? | Once = niddah; 3 times → forbidden to this husband | Mehaber seif 1 |
| Must one force a divorce today? | No: "אין אנו נוהגין להוציאה" — guidance by the Rav | Rama seif 1 |
| How does one diagnose the source? | Tube examination (מקור / צדדין); today = medical diagnosis + Rav | Mehaber seif 2 |
| Relations close to the וסת? | One attributes to the וסת, not "machmat tashmish" | Mehaber seif 4 |
| A known makah at that spot? | One attributes to the wound; failing that, ספק ספיקא | Mehaber + Rama seif 5 |
| "I have a wound" / "I am certain"? | She is believed → טהורה (guided by the Rav) | Mehaber seif 6 |
| A betulah who bleeds at the first relations? | דם בתולים until relations without bleeding; then 3 times → חזקה | Mehaber + Rama seif 13 |
⚖ The reflex in 3 questions
- How many times? Once → niddah; three times in a row → forbidden to this husband (Rama: we no longer force a divorce).
- Where does the blood come from? Makor (uterine) = forbidding; tzedadin / makah (wound, walls) = one attributes. Yesterday the tube examination, today the medical diagnosis.
- Can one attribute? סמוך לוסת → to the וסת; a known makah → to the wound; failing that, ספק ספיקא; and "I have a wound" → believed.
For the halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav, and for the diagnosis of the source, a competent physician (gynecologist).
🎓 Recap of the study path
| Level | Content | Acquired |
|---|
| 🌱 Level 1 — Base |
Text of the 14 seifim, translation, explanation of the notions (makor / makah / tzedadin, the tube examination, credibility, refuah) |
Overall understanding |
| ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan |
The makor / tzedadin distinction, the mechanics of the tube examination (Taz s.k. 5), the logic of the Rama's ספק ספיקא, the credibility of "I have a wound", and the nuances of the Noda BiYehuda |
In-depth study |
| ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis |
Master grid, golden rules, mnemonic, pitfalls, recap of the 14 seifim |
Practical mastery + review |
| 🏛️ Level 4 — Daat HaRav (Chabad) & Halacha lema'asse |
The mesorah of the Tzemach Tzedek and of Chabad in taharat hamishpacha, contemporary psak (Taharat haBayit, Shevet haLevi, Nishmat Avraham) and the practical application |
Decision and halacha le-ma'aseh |
💡 Suggested next steps:
- Re-read Siman קפ״ז in the original Choulhan Aroukh (Hebrew) with the Shach, the Taz and the Pitchei Teshuva
- Study the adjacent Simanim: 184 (the laws of וסתות and the separation), 186 (the examinations before / after relations), 188 (blood found with stool), 190 (the colors and דם בתולים), 196 (the seven clean days and the examinations)
- Delve into the makor / tzedadin distinction and the logic of the Rama's ספק ספיקא (seif 5)
- For personal cases (bleeding at relations, a wound, the diagnosis of the source) — the halacha le-ma'aseh is decided with a Rav, and the diagnosis with a competent physician (gynecologist)
📖 Sources of this siman on Sefaria:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
DAAT · הרב יוסף חיים סממה
תלמיד חכם · מעביר שיעורים בהלכה ובחסידות
סימן קפ״ז · Level 3 — Synthesis / Review · דיני רואה מחמת תשמיש
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