(Thorough cleansing before ritual immersion)

Regulations for the preparation day

1. At the Conclusion of the seven clean days i.e. on the seventh day before nightfall the woman prepares herself for the Tviloh in a Mikvah.

During this entire day which will be followed at night by Tviloh, she should avoid eating meat, because meat particles lodge firmly between the teeth and are difficult to remove. If this day occurs on a Shabby or Yom Tov (see further pars. 11 and 12) she may eat meat, but, she must pick her teeth very carefully with a toothpick, and cleanse them thoroughly prior to Tviloh.

On this day, she should avoid contact with anything that could prevent the water of the Mikvah from reaching any part of her body. For example, she should avoid kneading or working with dough or any other sticky substance on the Tviloh day. She is permitted to knead dough in honor of Shabbos, however, but she must follow-up immediately by carefully washing herself from even the smallest particle of dough. Likewise, if because of necessity or through forgetfulness she worked with any sticky substance, she must wash herself carefully..

Preparing for the Tviloh

2. Before the Tviloh, the following preparations must be made carefully:

Fingernails and toenails must be cut and very carefully cleaned. Nail polish must be carefully removed with a polish remover that thoroughly removes any trace of polish. The mouth must be rinsed well several times. She must also clean her teeth with a toothpick to remove any food particles that may be lodged in or between the teeth.

The bathing before the Tviloh

3. Before the Tviloh, she must bathe in a tub of clean, warm water. The preparations mentioned above in par. 2 may be made either before or during the bath.

During this bath, she must wash herself from head to toe with soap. She must wash all body folds and orifices, such as the folds and canals of the ears including the holes of pierced ears the nostrils, the armpits, around the navel, all hidden places, etc. until her entire body is clean of any substance which would intervene between her body and the mikvah water. The hair of her head, as well as the concentration of hair on any part of her body must not only be washed thoroughly, but must also be combed slowly and carefully while the hair is wet, so that no hair is left tangled or stuck together.

All this must be done with warm water exclusively. A cold bath is not permitted and is completely invalid.

Removing false teeth, bandages, etc.

4. False teeth that can be removed without the assistance of a dentist must be removed before Tviloh, but implanted false teeth and permanent fillings are not regarded as intervening in Tviloh. If she has temporary fillings in her teeth or if she wears braces, a Rabbi should be consulted to ascertain whether they must be removed.

Bandages, band aides, plastic strips, adhesive tape, ointments, etc. must be removed and the area cleaned.

Earrings, necklaces, rings, and anything else on the body must be removed before bathing. Contact lenses and false eyelashes must also be removed.

Peeling skin and hard scabs

5. A woman who has peeling skin or a hard scab on a wound, and it is painful to remove even after soaking in warm water, or if her nails are loose or sore, or if she wears artificial nails, or if she wears cotton in her ears by order of her doctor, or if a thorn or splinter etc. entered her skin, or if anything sticks to her body, head or hair and it is difficult or painful to remove, or in similar cases, she must ask a Rabbi a shaaloh.

Time of the bath

6. The bath in the tub must begin before dusk while it is still daylight, and, together with the nail cutting, etc., should take at least half an hour. The bathing and the other preparations should occupy her from before dusk until the stars appear. Immediately afterwards, she should perform the Tviloh.

If she could take the bath only at night

7. If, for some reason, she was unable to start the bath before dusk, she may start the bath at night. In such a case, however, the bath together with all the other preparations should take a full -hour, so that she may follow the prescribed rules calmly and carefully, and not forget any of the things she must do.

8. She may not eat anything between the bath in the tub and the Tviloh. This applies even if the Tviloh takes place on Friday night or the night of Yom Tov, when there is a longer time lapse between the bath and the Tviloh. But, if the Tviloh takes place on Saturday night or the second night of Yom Tov, and she bathed and did all the preparations before Shabbos or Yom Tov, she is permitted to eat. (See pars. 1, 11 and 12).

If the Tviloh occurs on Shobbos or Yom Tov

9. If her Tviloh occurs on a Friday night or on the first night of Yom Tov, then the nail cutting, bathing, combing, and other preparations must be completed while it is still day. If these preparations are done in the Mikvah building and she cannot return home between these preparations and the Tviloh to light candles, then she should either have her husband light the Shabbos candles at the proper time, or she may herself light them beforehand with a stipulation (before the brachah) that she does not as yet accept upon herself the holiness of Shabbos with this candle lighting. She must, nevertheless, recite the usual brachah over the candles. Great care must be taken not to violate the Shabbos or Yom Tov by cutting nails, combing or soaping, etc. All these preparations must be completed carefully while it is still day, before the scheduled time for lighting candles.

10. On Erev Shabbos (Friday) or Erev Yom Tov it is most advisable to bathe and make all the preparations during the early afternoon. In such a case, and also during the week, if she is forced to complete the bath along with the preparations while it is still daytime, she must be especially careful not to allow a foreign substance to adhere to her body during this longer lapse of time between the bath and the Tviloh. In such a case, she must carefully and more thoroughly inspect herself before the Tviloh. It is proper that the Mikvah matron, too, inspect her more carefully, and if necessary, determine by touch that she is completely clean and that nothing is stuck to her.

If the Tvilah occurs on Saturday night or on the night following a Yom Tov

11. Should the Tviloh take place on Saturday night (Motzoei Shabbos) or on the night following a Yom Tov (Motzoei Yom Tov), the bathing and other preparations must be made Erev Shabbos or Erev Yom Tov in the daytime. On the night of the Tviloh, she must again wash herself and carefully check that she is clean everywhere (mouth, teeth, hair, etc.). If she did not bathe Erev Shabbos or Erev Yom Tov, for whatever cause, she can still bathe and perform the other preparations on Motzoei Shabbos or Motzoei Yom Tov in the manner described in par. 7. (in some communities, the custom is not to perform Tviloh on Motzoei Shabbos or Motzoei Yom Tov. Instead, they postpone it for the next night.)

If the Tviloh occurs on the second night of a Yom Tov

12. Should the Tviloh take. place on a Motzoei Shabbos that is also Yom Tov, or on a Motzoei Yom Tov that is also Shabbos, or on the second night of Yom Tov, then the bathing, nail cutting, cleansing, combing, etc. must be done before Shabbos and Yom Tov, while these acts are still 'permitted. On the night of the Tviloh, only the folds and intimate parts of her body may be washed with warm water (water may be warmed for this purpose on Yom Tov but not on Shabbos). She must carefully inspect her entire body including her ears, nose, etc. to assure their cleanliness. She must also check her hair to make sure that it is clean and not knotted or tangled. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, combing the hair and bathing are prohibited but, as long as her hair is dry, she may separate it slowly and carefully with her fingertips. She should also pick her teeth and rinse her mouth thoroughly before the Tviloh.

13. In all the aforementioned cases, when there is a long interval between bathing and Tviloh, the woman’s hair (if any) must be tied and fastened after her bath (in such a manner that reopening it is permitted on Shabbos and Yom Tov) to prevent any tangling or knotting before the Tviloh. (it is understood that the hair must be untied and loosened before the Tviloh.) She should also refrain from activities involving sticky or dirty substances. If she came in contact with such substances, she should wash the affected area each time.

Removing Corns or Calluses

14. If the woman wishes to remove corns or calluses from her feet, either at home or in the Mikvah premises, she must do so exclusively before Tviloh.

15. The ladies room should be used before Tviloh, if needed.

16. The modesty of a Jewish woman demands utmost discretion regarding the Tviloh, so that no one (other than her husband) should know when she goes, not even her family.

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