1 678
 
Hilchos Kriyas Shema 88 (page 236)
מאמצע סעיף א יש שכתבו עד תחילת סימן פט


Is a Woman Required to Daven when She is Tamei?
The Custom of Some Women Not to go a Cemetery
The Custom of Some Women to Avoid a Cemetery When Pregnant

Is a woman required to daven when she is tamei?
There is a Rishon who holds that a woman who is tamei should not recite words of kedusha (i.e. berachos, tefillos, etc.), should not mention Hashem's name in any form, should not enter a shul and should not handle sefarim. The prevailing opinion, however, allows a woman who is tamei to do all of the above. The Rama and many other poskim emphasize that women are permitted to enter a shul and handle sefarim and that they are obligated to daven, etc., when tamei. They should not look at an open sefer Torah, however.
( סעיף א וס"ק ו-ז)
The custom of some women not to go to a cemetery
Ideally, a woman who is tamei should not enter a cemetery for any reason, including davening at the grave of a tzaddik or of parents. She should avoid even individual graves [that are outside a cemetery], such as the burial place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Cemeteries are treated more severely than shuls because of the added tumas meis. According to some contemporary poskim, if there is a pressing need she may go to a cemetery to pray, but should stay four amos away from any graves.
( ס"ק ז; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 21-22)

The custom of some women to avoid a cemetery when pregnant
Many women avoid entering cemeteries when they are pregnant. A possible reason for this practice may be based on a Mishna (Parah 3:2) that says that the children who used to draw the water for the parah adumah were never exposed to tumas meis. Their mothers would go to places free of tumas meis to give birth, and the children would be raised in those places until they were old enough to draw the water.  Nowadays, pregnant women stay out of the cemetery in the hope that the Beis Hamikdash will be built soon and that their children, having been shielded from tuma, will be eligible to draw the water for the parah adumah.
( ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 10)



 
  • Mid'oraisa, a ba'al keri is permitted to study Torah and daven while he is still tamei. Ezra mandated that he must first immerse in a pool of forty seah of water.
  • This tevila does not override the requirement to recite Shema and Shemoneh Esrei before their deadlines, and tefilla b'tzibur likely takes precedence over this immersion.
  • Someone who is unable to immerse for tevilas Ezra may pour nine kavim of water on his head. The poskim discuss whether a shower can be used for this purpose.


  • The four stages of morning

  • Mitzvos that must be fulfilled during the day

  • Completing the tefilla within zman tefilla

 
...

PLEASE NOTE:  The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.