QUESTION

Do you prefer that a kallah to be taught to do 2 bedikot each day during sheva nekiyim lekhatchilah or do we hold that these days one suffices even as a standard practice? If 2 is really the preferred lekhatchilah practice, what is the standard in terms of physical discomfort, emotional anxiety, or other issues that would allow a woman to drop down to 1 per day as their standard practice?

ANSWER

I absolutely do not teach 2 per day. That is the position of Sefer HaTerumah 87 based on a Gemara about taharot against all the evidence in the Gemara and the consensus opinion of the Rishonim. Although it is in the Shulchan Arukh (YD 196:4), I think it can be completely bracketed. The most I would ever teach someone as a lekhatchilah is once a day, which is the position of many Rishonim.

That being said, there is no question that 1 and 7 works, and given (a) physical and psychological discomfort and the possibility of false positives (Arukh HaShulkhan in particular is worried about this) and (b) the fact that keeping hilkhot niddah can be a major challenge for people, and we have an obligation to make it as manageable as possible, I believe that if there is an indication that these factors are present, then we should teach women to do 1, 7, plus one other day. The reason for the one other day is in case 1 or 7 was accidentally missed. It is best to do 1, 2 and 7 in case she did a hefeseik taharah, thought it was fine, but asked anyway a few days later, and then found out that it was no good. If she did days 1 and 2, then 1 can count as her new hefseik taharah, and 2 as her day 1 bedikah.

If these factors are not present, and a woman is willing and able to do a bedikah every day, then that is what she should do.