How is the niddah period, and the various time periods determined?
first five days begin when a woman first sees her flow. She counts from the beginning of the flow, and continues until the flow stops. If it takes less than five days for her flow to stop, she still has to wait until five days are over. Even if she saw blood for only one day, she must wait five days until she can begin the seven-day taharah process. The five days need not be complete five days. The first day might start in the middle of the day, if she first saw her flow in the afternoon. But whenever they began, they end on the night after the fifth day. If she sees blood for more than five days, the “five” days end when she has definitely stopped seeing. Once she has stopped seeing blood, she can begin the count of the Seven White Days. “stopped seeing blood” means that she has stopped seeing either a flow of blood or stains on her clothing completely. These days begin when the woman, before sunset, takes a shower or bath, and cleans herself thoroughly, everywhere. She then waits a f
