taharat hamishpacha

English

Alternative forms

• taharas hamishpacha

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew טהרת המשפחה (“family purity”).

Noun

taharat hamishpacha (uncountable)

1. The Jewish laws pertaining to menstruation, given in Leviticus.
   • 2003 May 18, mos...@mm.huji.ac.il, “Actually, only 20% of the Jewish people left Eg”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated‎^[1] (Usenet):

     That's an _added_ bonus, like avoiding pork products avoids trichonosis or circumscised males are less prone to penile cancer and women who practice taharas hamishpacha are less prone to cervix cancer.

   • 2004 May 23, Susan Cohen, quoting Cindys, “Sheitel Burning in Israel”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated‎^[2] (Usenet):

     They are "offended" by the laws of taharas hamishpacha and bristle at the idea that women sit behind a mechitza.

   • 2010, Shmuel Goldin, Unlocking the Torah Text: Vayikra, Gefen Publishing House, →ISBN, page 88:

     Numerous scholars […] have opined on potential ways in which adherence to the mandates of taharat hamishpacha can benefit a marriage, including injecting a monthly sense of renewal into the husband-wife relationship, ensuring that the couple learns to relate to each other on levels beyond the physical, cultivating a husband's sensitivity towards his wife during a vulnerable time of the month, sanctifying the physical bond between husband and wife, and more.