Niddah (Talmud)

Niddah ( /ˈnɪd.ə/; Nid-ah; Hebrew: נִדָּה) is a masekhet or tractate of the Mishnah and the Talmud, and is part of the order of Tohorot. The content of the tractate primarily deals with the legal provisions related to Halakha of Niddah.

In Judaism, a niddah is a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath). In the Book of Leviticus, the Torah prohibits sexual intercourse with a niddah.^[1] The prohibition has been maintained in traditional Jewish law. The laws concerning niddah are also referred to as taharat hamishpacha (טהרת המשפחה‎, Hebrew for family purity).

Niddah, along with Eruvin and Yevamot, is considered one of the three most difficult tractates in the Babylonian Talmud. A Hebrew mnemonic for the three is עני (ani, meaning "poverty").^[2]

Structure

Niddah consists of 10 chapters. It has 79 mishnahs and 73 pages gemara.^[3]

Chapter headings

1. Shammai Omer (שמאי אומר‎)
2. Hol Ka'yad (כל היד‎)
3. Hamapelet Chatichah (המפלת חתיכה‎)
4. Bnot Kutim (בנות כותים‎)
5. Yotzei Dofen (יוצא דופן‎)
6. Ba Siman (בא סימן‎)
7. Dan Niddah (דם הנדה‎)
8. Haroeh Kettem (הרואה כתם‎)
9. Haisha Shehi Oseh (האשה שהיא עושה‎)
10. Tinoket (תינוקת‎)

Summary and Contemporary Critiques

Niddah outlines laws of family purity, especially those relating to menstruation, childbirth, and bodily emissions. Its detailed regulations around ritual impurity, female puberty, and marital intimacy have drawn modern criticism for reinforcing outdated views on gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. While studied as part of traditional Jewish legal discourse, many contemporary communities approach its rulings critically, prompting ongoing debate about its relevance and ethical implications today.^[4][5][6]

The most controversial passage found in Niddah 44b states that a girl aged three years and one day could be betrothed through intercourse, reflecting ancient legal definitions of consent and ritual status. This was part of a theoretical debate among early rabbinic scholars and is not regarded as normative or acceptable by modern Jewish authorities. Contemporary Jewish communities universally reject child marriage and interpret such passages within their historical and non-prescriptive context.^[7]

See also

• Ritual purity in Judaism