More stupid bedikah tricks
So last night was my fifth day, and I usually try to make Hefsek Tahara on that day. But things were upside down in my house with a new cleaning lady, my husband home (not usually home thursday nights), and my best friend arrived from out of town. Things were a little hectic to say the least. Candle lighting in NYC is 8:13 this week, which means shkiah is 8:31. I realized at 8:28 that I hadn't made hefsek tahara yet (in the middle of eating pizza no less). So I ran to the bathroom and started trying. Problems, problems, problems. Finally, at the last second I thought one was almost close enough to "clean enough", and then just shoved a bedikah in and left it there as moch dochuk. And then I went about my merry way.
At about 9:00 I realized that I never officially had a "hefsek tahara". Because I didn't have a previous bedika that was perfectly clean, all I had was technically a moch dochuk. And in my mind I never said this is hefsek tahara and this is moch dochuk. I was so frazzled that I forgot how you're supposed to do it!!!!
AAAARGHHH. Hashem had a sense of humour. I reached the Rov on the first try (a miracle in itself). But alas, as they say I was BOL (bedikah out of Luck). The moch dochuk can not count as the hefsek tahara! The hefsek is halacha, the moch dochuk is din. So you can have hefsek tahara without a moch dochuk, but you can't have a moch dochuk without a hefsek tahara. And trust me I tried to wheedle him into giving me some sort of heter, you know it's crazy in my house, and now this means I will have to immerse on shabbos, isn't that a problem? And, G-d bless the Rov, he said he was sorry, the halacha stood as is, and that in the future I should set an alarm clock for candlelighting time so that I don't get stuck again (and of course I explained to him that I usually do it at that time, but again things were a bit upside down in my house).
So I will try again to make hefsek tahara this afternoon/tonight, BUT my husband is away for shabbos, and I have a house full of guests! And of course, if there is a problem with the moch dochuk, I will have to make a second hefsek tahara at the end of shabbos just in case friday's is no good. (This is because there is no eiruv between our house and the Rov's.) G-d help me!
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Wait. I am finding this story so confusing. I'm sure the rabbi would not have said no if there was any way he could allow it, but please explain.
You have to say to yourself "this is my hefsek tahara"? I was under the impression the only time there was a problem is if you said to yourself "this is NOT good, I can't rely on it." If you thought the last one you did might have been clean, isn't that good enough? I mean obviously you were at least hoping the hefsek was okay, why else would you have bothered with a moch?
Maybe I'm thinking of bedikahs you do after the hefsek, and for the hefsek you have to make more of a statement. Or maybe I am just remembering wrong.
I have also gotten the same advice about the moch - you can rotate a moch in the same manner you would a hefsek, then leave it in. That way, if it's clean, it can serve as both. But of course that would only work if you inserted it before shkiah, and I'm not sure whether you had time...
In the end, the Friday one was no good as well (thank goodness I always do one on Shabbos afternoon as well as a safety measure), and when the rov left the message about it, he also mentioned turning the moch dochuk. I never learned this. But will IMYH start doing it!
Wait, I'm confused. You "started trying?" Does this mean you can try for a hefsek tahara more than once at a time? I thought you checked, and if it wasn't good, you had to wait until the next time (sundown or sunrise).
Am I interpreting this correctly, that you can check, and if it's not good, immediately try again?
I don't know what you were told.. but I was always taught if you have a shaila on your hefsek that before you leave in your moch dochuk rub it around like it is a hefsek... then leave it in. That way it can count as BOTH a hefsek and a moch in case your first hefsek is invalid.
Maybe next time you find yourself so rushed you can try to do that so you don't get caught in this situation again.
I'm sorry and I hope you get a clean one tonight so you can go to the mikvah ASAP!