What is the meaning of the ‘niddah’ law? Why does the Torah require husbands and wives to separate when the wife has her period? The laws in Vayikra describe the “whats” of niddah but not the “why.” Why would God want to keep husbands and wives apart from one another? And what does menstruation have to do with it?

And those are just the easy questions! In this episode, guest host and scholar Beth Lesch respectfully yet candidly raises questions about the challenges of observing these laws. In conversation with Yoetzet Halacha Adina Blaustein and fellow scholar Tikva Hecht, Beth shares her own personal and intellectual struggles with niddah, using them as a springboard for a deep dive into the Torah text in search of the meaning of niddah. What she discovers has the power to transform not only how we experience this mitzvah, but how we understand what marriage is all about. 

This is Part 1 of 2.

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