Siman 200 — When to Say the Blessing of the Immersion (Birkat haTevilah): Before or After the Tevilah, and the Custom of Blessing Covered in the Water
When to say « אשר קדשנו… על הטבילה »: before immersing, in the חלוק; or after the immersion, covered in the water — to discover and understand
יורה דעה · סימן ר׳
אֵימָתַי תַּעֲשֶׂה בִּרְכַּת הַטְּבִילָה
🌱 Introductory Level · מתחילים
✦ ❖ ✦
A first approach to Siman 200, the last siman of the laws of family purity (Taharat haMishpacha). Having learned the immersion (Siman 197-198) and the preparation that precedes it — the חפיפה (Siman 199) — this siman poses a single, delicate question: when to say the blessing of the immersion (ברכת הטבילה) — « אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילָה » ? Before immersing, like every blessing that precedes the mitzvah (עובר לעשייתן) ? Or after the immersion, when the woman is already in the water and covered, out of modesty (since one does not bless uncovered) ? That is the whole point of this single seif (סעיף אחד), dense, which we break into its three positions. These are practical (למעשה) rules, to be learned with a Rav or a balanit / moret kalla.
Subject: When to say the blessing of the immersion — אֵימָתַי תַּעֲשֶׂה בִּרְכַּת הַטְּבִילָה Source: שולחן ערוך יורה דעה סימן ר׳
Compilation: הרב יוסף חיים סממה DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1.What is this siman about? The timing of the ברכת הטבילה — one seif, three positions
2.The single seif: the vocalized Hebrew text, broken into its three positions
3.The key concepts: עובר לעשייתן, בה״ג, מכסה עצמה, צלולים, וכן נוהגים…
4.The three positions: the Mehaber (before), the יש אומרים / Rama (after), and the halakhic root
5.The Taz, the Shach, the Pitchei Teshuva: the great commentators of the siman
6.The Rama's gloss (הגה): the Ashkenazi custom of blessing after, covered in the water
7.The table of positions: before / after, and the actual conduct at the mikveh
8.Practical cases: when to bless at the mikveh, the Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs, the role of the balanit
9.Synthesis and comprehension questions
1. What is this siman about? (סעיף אחד)
Siman 199 described the חפיפה — washing, combing, examining — that prepares the טבילה. Siman 200, the last of the family-purity block, assumes the טבילה accomplished and poses a single question: at what moment to say the accompanying blessing, the ברכת הטבילה — « אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילָה » ?
The difficulty stems from two requirements that pull against each other. On one hand, the general rule: one blesses before performing the mitzvah (עובר לעשייתן). On the other, a principle of modesty: one does not bless with the body uncovered — yet at the moment of immersing, the woman is unclothed. How are the two reconciled? That is the whole siman. The Shulchan Aruch has but one seif, yet it folds in three positions. Let us read it.
The siman comes down to one question: when to say the ברכת הטבילה? Before the טבילה (by the rule עובר לעשייתן) or after (so as not to bless while uncovered)? One seif, three answers — which we will now unfold.
2. The single seif, vocalized
Here is the complete seif of the Shulchan Aruch, in the order of the text: first the position of the Mehaber (bless before), then the gloss of the Rama (the יש אומרים: bless after, covered). We give it broken into its three moments, before reading the translation.
Position 1 — The Mehaber: bless before, in the חלוק
When she removes her garments, while she stands in her חלוק (her shift) — she says the blessing « אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על הטבילה », then removes her חלוק and immerses (תפשוט חלוקה ותטבול). And if she did not bless — then she blesses after entering the water up to her neck (עד צוארה במים); and if the water is clear (צלולים) — she clouds it with her foot (עוכרתן ברגליה) and blesses.
Bless before, like every mitzvah. For the Mehaber (Maran, the Sephardi custom), the ברכת הטבילה follows the general rule: it is said before performing the mitzvah (עובר לעשייתן). But how to bless without being uncovered? The woman remains clothed in her חלוק (her shift), blesses, then removes it and immerses. And if she forgot to bless beforehand? She may do so once in the water up to the neck — the water covers her; and if the water is too clear (צלולה) and leaves her visible, she clouds it with her foot before blessing, out of modesty.
Position 2 — The Rama (יש אומרים): bless after, covered in the water
Gloss of the Rama:and there are those who say (יש אומרים) that she does not bless until after the טבילה — this is the view of the Tour in the name of the Baal Halakhot Gedolot (בה״ג), as well as Rashi and the Ramban — and such is the custom (וכן נוהגים): after the טבילה, while she still stands in the water, she covers herself with her garment or her חלוק (מכסה עצמה) and blesses.
Bless after, covered. For the יש אומרים (the Rama, the Ashkenazi custom), the blessing is said after the immersion. Why? Because as long as the woman is still נדה (before the טבילה), her טהרה has not yet come about: the mitzvah is completed only with the טבילה. And to resolve the modesty concern, the woman — still in the water — covers herself with her garment or her חלוק (מכסה עצמה) before blessing. The Rama concludes: וכן נוהגים — "and such is the custom" (Ashkenazi).
Position 3 — The halakhic root: עובר לעשייתן facing modesty
The root of the divergence:on one hand, every blessing is said before performing the mitzvah (עובר לעשייתן); on the other, one does not bless with the body uncovered, since "the heart sees the nakedness" (לבו רואה את הערוה). The covering — by the חלוק, or by clouding the water with the foot — resolves the requirement of modesty (צניעות).
Two requirements, one concern for modesty. The Mehaber gives priority to עובר לעשייתן (bless before) and settles the modesty concern by keeping the חלוק (or clouding the water if she forgot). The יש אומרים give priority to the completion of the mitzvah (the טהרה comes only with the טבילה) and settle the modesty concern by covering oneself after, in the water. In both cases, the כיסוי (covering, clouding the water) is the key: one never blesses while the body is simply uncovered.
One seif, three moments: (1) the Mehaber — bless before, in the חלוק (or, if forgotten, in the water up to the neck, the water clouded with the foot); (2) the יש אומרים / Rama — bless after, covered in the water (בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban; וכן נוהגים); (3) the root: the tension between עובר לעשייתן and the concern not to bless uncovered, which the כיסוי resolves.
3. The key concepts of this siman
To read Siman 200, one must master a small vocabulary — that of the blessing and its modesty.
ברכת הטבילה — "The blessing of the immersion": the blessing said on the occasion of the טבילה — אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילָה ("who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us the immersion"). The whole siman is about its timing (before or after).
עובר לעשייתן — "Before the performance": the general rule that one says the blessing just before performing the mitzvah. This is the Mehaber's argument for blessing before immersing (in the חלוק).
בה״ג — "Baal Halakhot Gedolot": one of the oldest halakhic compendia (Geonic era). It is he — cited by the Tour, with Rashi and the Ramban — who teaches to bless after the טבילה. The Rama follows this view (וכן נוהגים).
מכסה עצמה — "She covers herself": according to the יש אומרים, after the טבילה and while still in the water, the woman covers herself with her garment or her חלוק before blessing — so as not to say the blessing with the body uncovered.
צלולים / עוכרתן ברגליה — "Clear water / clouding it with the foot": if, having forgotten to bless beforehand, the woman blesses in the water, and it is too clear (צלולה) and leaves her visible, she clouds it with her foot (עוכרתן ברגליה) — to bless without her body being seen.
וכן נוהגים — "And such is the custom": the formula by which the Rama seals the Ashkenazi practice — here, blessing after the טבילה, covered in the water. This is the custom followed in most Ashkenazi communities (and Chabad).
The key words of the siman. The ברכת הטבילה is said, for the Mehaber, עובר לעשייתן (before, in the חלוק); for the יש אומרים (בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban), after, when the woman מכסה עצמה in the water. Modesty — חלוק, clouded water (צלולים / עוכרתן), כיסוי — lies at the heart of the debate. The actual practice is settled with a Rav or a balanit / moret kalla.
4. The three positions, in detail
Let us take the three moments of the seif, one after the other, to grasp why each position says what it says.
Position 1 — The Mehaber: bless before the טבילה
The Mehaber: כשפושטת מלבושיה כשעומדת בחלוקה תברך… ותפשוט חלוקה ותטבול — "when she removes her garments, in her חלוק, she blesses… then removes the חלוק and immerses". This is the strict application of עובר לעשייתן: the blessing precedes the mitzvah.
The spirit of the position. Every blessing over a mitzvah is said before: that is the rule, and there is no cause to depart from it for the טבילה. Modesty? It is settled by remaining clothed in the חלוק while blessing. And forgetting? It is made up in the water up to the neck (the water covers), clouding it with the foot if it is too clear. This is the Sephardi custom, according to Maran (the Beit Yossef / Mehaber).
Position 2 — The יש אומרים (Rama): bless after the טבילה
The Rama: ויש אומרים שלא תברך עד אחר הטבילה… וכן נוהגים, שלאחר הטבילה בעודה עומדת בתוך המים מכסה עצמה בבגדה או בחלוקה ומברכת — "and there are those who say she does not bless until after the טבילה… and such is the custom: after the טבילה, still in the water, she covers herself with her garment or her חלוק and blesses". This is the view of the בה״ג, Rashi and the Ramban (cited by the Tour).
The spirit of the position. For these Rishonim, one does not bless before: as long as the woman is still נדה (before the טבילה), there is an impediment to blessing "on the immersion" that has not yet purified; the מצוה is completed with the טבילה. Modesty is resolved after: still in the water, the woman covers herself (מכסה עצמה) and blesses. The Rama rules for this custom: וכן נוהגים. This is the Ashkenazi custom (and Chabad).
Position 3 — The halakhic root: עובר לעשייתן ↔ not blessing uncovered
The heart of the debate: on one hand, one blesses עובר לעשייתן (before) → the Mehaber; on the other, one does not bless with the body uncovered (לבו רואה את הערוה) → hence, for the בה״ג, blessing after, covered. The כיסוי — חלוק, or clouded water — resolves, in both camps, the requirement of modesty.
The divergence is not a caprice: it springs from two true principles pulling in opposite directions. Blessing before honors עובר לעשייתן (Mehaber); blessing after honors the completion of the mitzvah and avoids any doubt about "blessing before the טהרה" (יש אומרים). Both camps protect modesty through the כיסוי. The practice of each is settled according to one's community, with the Rav and the balanit.
5. The Taz, the Shach, the Pitchei Teshuva
In Yoreh De'ah, the Shulchan Aruch is never read alone. Three great commentaries accompany this siman — the timing of the blessing and its modesty being full of concrete cases.
The Taz (ט״ז) — abbreviation of טורי זהב, Turei Zahav, by Rabbi David haLevi Segal (Poland, 17th century). On this siman, he illuminates the timing of the ברכה, the principle of עובר לעשייתן applied to the טבילה, and the question of the כיסוי (covering, clouding the water).
The Shach (ש״ך) — abbreviation of שפתי כהן, Siftei Kohen, by Rabbi Shabtai haCohen (Lithuania, 17th century). The principal analytical commentary on Yoreh De'ah; here it is complemented by the works dedicated to nidda — the Sidrei Tahara and the Chochmat Adam.
The Pitchei Teshuva (פתחי תשובה) — by Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Hirsch Eisenstadt (19th century). On this siman, he gathers the responsa of the Acharonim on concrete cases — the exact timing of the ברכה, the question of the ערוה, and the custom (מנהג) of each community — which bridge to the practice of today.
We see the method: these commentaries do not add arbitrary rules — they apply the principles of the siman (עובר לעשייתן, the כיסוי, the completion of the mitzvah) to new situations. This is what one deepens at the Lamdan level, then at the Halacha lema'asse level with the contemporary poskim (Sidrei Tahara, Chochmat Adam, Aroukh haShulchan, Taharat haBayit, Shevet haLevi, Badei haShulchan).
6. The Rama's gloss (הגה)
The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds to the Mehaber's text a single, but decisive, gloss: it changes the moment of the blessing for the Ashkenazi custom.
On the seif — bless after the טבילה, covered in the water
Gloss of the Rama: ויש אומרים שלא תברך עד אחר הטבילה (טור בשם בעל הלכות גדולות, ורש״י ורמב״ן), וכן נוהגים, שלאחר הטבילה בעודה עומדת בתוך המים מכסה עצמה בבגדה או בחלוקה ומברכת — "and there are those who say she does not bless until after the טבילה (Tour in the name of the בה״ג, and Rashi and Ramban), and such is the custom: after the טבילה, still in the water, she covers herself with her garment or her חלוק and blesses".
Why this gloss changes everything. The Mehaber had her bless before (in the חלוק). The Rama, by contrast, anchors the Ashkenazi custom: bless after, when the woman is still in the water and covered. The practical nuance is real — the exact moment at which the blessing is said at the mikveh differs by community. The Rama seals it with a וכן נוהגים.
The Rama's gloss sums up the whole siman: where the Mehaber blesses before (Sephardi custom, in the חלוק), the Ashkenazi custom (and Chabad) blesses after, covered in the water (מכסה עצמה). This is exactly the kind of point where one follows one's community's custom — to be confirmed with the Rav and the balanit.
7. The table of positions
The whole siman fits in one grid: the two possible moments of the blessing, their logic, and the way modesty is preserved in each case.
Position
When to bless
How (modesty)
Logic
Mehaber (Sephardi)
Before the טבילה
In the חלוק; if forgotten, in the water up to the neck (water clouded with the foot if צלולים)
עובר לעשייתן
יש אומרים / Rama (Ashkenazi, Chabad)
After the טבילה
Still in the water, מכסה עצמה (covered with the garment or the חלוק)
בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban; the מצוה is completed by the טבילה
If she forgot to bless beforehand…
Conduct
According to the Mehaber
She blesses in the water, up to the neck; clouding it with the foot if it is clear (צלולים)
According to the Rama / the custom
One blesses after in any case — covered, still in the water
The logic in one sentence: the ברכת הטבילה is said either before (Mehaber, in the חלוק — עובר לעשייתן), or after (Rama, covered in the water — בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban); in both cases, modesty is protected by the כיסוי. Which moment to follow, and how to do it in practice, is settled according to one's community, with a Rav or a balanit / moret kalla.
8. Practical cases
How does this seif come to life today, at the mikveh? Here are the common situations — each closing on the same referral: the actual conduct belongs to the Rav, the balanit or the moret kalla.
Case 1 — When to bless at the mikveh
At the mikveh, the moment of the ברכת הטבילה depends on the community's custom. Ashkenazi (and Chabad) custom: the woman immerses a first time, then, still in the water and covered (often with arms crossed or with a cloth), she says the blessing « אשר קדשנו… על הטבילה », and immerses again. Sephardi custom: she blesses before, clothed in her חלוק, then removes it and immerses. In both cases, the precise moment is indicated by the balanit, and the substance is settled with the Rav.
Case 2 — The modesty of the blessing
One never says the blessing with the body simply uncovered (לבו רואה את הערוה). That is why the siman always provides for a כיסוי: remaining in the חלוק (Mehaber), or, in the water, covering oneself (מכסה עצמה) and, if the water is too clear, clouding it with the foot (עוכרתן ברגליה). The concrete way of covering oneself when blessing is learned with the balanit or the moret kalla.
Case 3 — If she forgot to bless
A woman who follows the Sephardi custom (bless before) and has forgotten to do so in her חלוק: what should she do? The seif answers — she blesses once in the water, up to the neck, and if the water is too clear (צלולים) she clouds it with her foot before blessing. But to know whether the blessing still applies (depending on where she is in the טבילה), this is a שאלה: one relies on the balanit on the spot, and, for the substance, on the Rav.
Case 4 — The role of the balanit
The balanit (the attendant of the mikveh) accompanies the whole conduct: she indicates the moment of the blessing according to the community's custom, guides the כיסוי (how to cover oneself in the water to bless with modesty), and watches over the proper course of the טבילה. She is the experienced eye that secures the delicate moment of the ברכה. For any doubt at the mikveh, one relies on the balanit — and, for questions of substance, on the Rav.
The guiding thread: Siman 200 answers a single question — when to say the ברכת הטבילה. Before (Mehaber, in the חלוק) or after (Rama, covered in the water): one follows one's community's custom. Always, modesty is preserved by the כיסוי. The actual conduct at the mikveh belongs to the balanit, and questions of substance to the Rav or the moret kalla.
9. Synthesis of Siman 200
The essence of Siman 200 in a few sentences:
A single question (סעיף אחד): at what moment to say the ברכת הטבילה — « אשר קדשנו… על הטבילה » — before or after the טבילה?
The Mehaber (before): in her חלוק, she blesses then removes it and immerses (עובר לעשייתן); if forgotten, she blesses in the water up to the neck (clouding it with the foot if צלולים). Sephardi custom.
The יש אומרים / Rama (after): בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban — after the טבילה, still in the water, covered (מכסה עצמה), she blesses; וכן נוהגים. Ashkenazi custom (and Chabad).
The root: the tension between עובר לעשייתן (bless before) and the concern not to bless with the body uncovered (לבו רואה את הערוה) — resolved, on both sides, by the כיסוי.
In practice: one follows one's community's custom, under the guidance of the balanit and the Rav.
Memory table
Point
Rule
The blessing
« אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על הטבילה » — the ברכת הטבילה
Mehaber (Sephardi)
Before the טבילה, in the חלוק (עובר לעשייתן); if forgotten, in the water up to the neck
Rama / יש אומרים (Ashkenazi)
After the טבילה, covered in the water (מכסה עצמה); וכן נוהגים
Modesty
חלוק, covering oneself, or clouding the water with the foot (צלולים → עוכרתן ברגליה)
The root
עובר לעשייתן ↔ not blessing uncovered (לבו רואה את הערוה)
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
What is the single question posed by Siman 200 (סעיף אחד)?
According to the Mehaber, when does one bless, and how is modesty preserved (the חלוק)?
If she forgot to bless beforehand, what does she do, and what does עוכרתן ברגליה mean?
According to the יש אומרים (Rama), when does one bless, and who are the Rishonim cited (בה״ג, Rashi, Ramban)?
What does מכסה עצמה mean, and why is it necessary?
Explain the halakhic root: עובר לעשייתן facing לבו רואה את הערוה.
What is the difference between the Sephardi and the Ashkenazi custom at the mikveh?
What does the Rama mean by וכן נוהגים?
To go further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: the pilpul — can one bless עובר לעשייתן over the טבילה (the status "before", still נדה / טמאה); the problem of ברכה בגילוי / לבו רואה את הערוה and the solution of the כיסוי; the שיטת בה״ג / רש״י / רמב״ן (the מצוה is completed by the טבילה); and the Sephardi / Ashkenazi (מנהג ספרד / אשכנז) divide
✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: the comparative tables (the three positions, before/after, modesty), the golden rules and the quick memorization of the single seif
⚖️ Level 4 — Daat HaRav (Chabad) & Halacha lema'asse: the Chabad mesorah (Tzemach Tzedek) — the Chabad minhag of blessing after the טבילה, covered — and the practical psika (Beit Yossef, Rama, Taz, Shach, Sidrei Tahara, Chochmat Adam, Aroukh haShulchan, Taharat haBayit, Shevet haLevi, Badei haShulchan) on the timing of the ברכת הטבילה
The sources for this level can be consulted on Sefaria: