Vestos – Calendar Part 1 4
Introduction to Vestos
Introduction to Vestos Days of anticipation The traffic light:
Forbidden days
Days of anticipation
Permissible days
Introduction to Vestos Days of anticipation The idea behind these days
The chachamim feared that a woman’s period might start amidst intimacy, causing the couple to transgress the prohibition of nidah, Chas Veshalom
Therefore, they instituted that the couple abstain from intimacy on certain days when the likelihood of her period starting is higher
Introduction to Vestos Recording How to calculate times of separation The details of the woman’s cycle and dates of anticipated menstruation are recorded in a calendar When?
What?
Who?
Make note as soon as period begins
Period or bedikah
Decide which spouse should be in charge of calculations
Don’t rely on memory
Stains and external wiping usually not taken into account
Introduction to Vestos Definitions Sun
ד
Mon
ה
Tue
ו
Thu
Full day
ז
ח
Fri
ט
Shabbos
י
Night onah and day onah
Full day
Night and day Beginning at night
Onah
Night onah – sunset to sunrise Day onah – sunrise to sunset
Introduction to Vestos The 3 most common cycles Veses kavua – fixed cycle: If woman consistently gets period according to specific pattern, she only needs to anticipate according to her fixed cycle (more details to be explained later)
A woman without a fixed cycle anticipates period according to all 3 cycles
Onah Beinonis
Veses Hachodesh
Veses Haflaga
Onah Beinonis
Onah Beinonis Explanation Average cycle Most common menstrual cycle
How to calculate
Duration of separation
30th day
Full 24-hour day
The day she gets period is first day of 30 day cycle
From sunset concluding 29th day until sunset of 30th day
Onah Beinonis Example: Tishrei
Onah Beinonis Example: Teves / Shevat
Onah Beinonis Simple calculation: 4 weeks and one day
Teves / Shevat
Onah Beinonis Simple calculation: 4 weeks and one day
Tishrei
Veses Hachodesh
Veses Hachodesh Explanation Same date of the month Maybe it will bring onset of period the next month as well
Recording By Veses Hachodesh, separation only applies to the onah — night or day — in which the period began last month
Mark on the calendar the onah in which the flow began
Veses Hachodesh Example: Flow began on 3 Tishrei during day onah Keep veses on 3 Cheshvan by day
In 30-day month, Veses Hachodesh will be day after Onah Beinonis
Tishrei / Cheshvan
Veses Hachodesh Teves / Shevat In 29-day month Veses Hachodesh will coincide with Onah Beinonis
Still mark both down There can be halachic ramifications
Veses Hachodesh
Shevat / Adar If flow began on 30 Shevat and next month doesn’t have 30th day: No need to keep Veses Hachodesh that month and not even in subsequent month that has 30th
Veses Haflaga
Veses Haflaga Explanation Haflaga = distance Maybe the next period will arrive at the same interval as there was between the past two periods
How to calculate 1. Count distance between last two periods (from after Hefsek Taharah) 2. Count the same distance from Hefsek Taharah after most recent period and mark onah
Veses Haflaga The distance is counted in onos – 2 per day:
Sun
1
2
Starting point
Mon
3
Tue
4
5
6
Wed
Thu
7
9
8
10
Fri
11 12
Shabbos
13
Count number of clean onos from after the Hefsek Taharah until beginning of next flow (i.e., how long her uterus was “closed”)
14
Veses Haflaga Cheshvan Flow began on 50th onah from Hefsek Taharah 1
Step 1:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26
Mark the number 50 on the side
27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Double check the count
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
49 50
Veses Haflaga Cheshvan / Kislev Flow began on 50th onah from Hefsek Taharah
45 46 47 48
1
2
3
4
49 50
5
6
7
8
9
10
Step 2: 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 After successful Hefsek Taharah Count 50 onos from after Hefsek Taharah and mark 50th onah as Veses Haflaga Double check the count
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
49
50
37 38
Veses Haflaga
First period After only one period, there is no haflaga yet
Veses Haflaga Cheshvan / Kislev If Hefsek Taharah was done a while after flow stopped
From which onah is the haflaga counted? Consult a rav. Some say to calculate as if her period lasted 7 days (unless she knows it lasted longer) and then begin counting the onos
Double check the count
1
9
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Canceling a Cycle
Canceling a Cycle Onah Beinonis Only kept on 30th day from most recent flow and isn’t carried over to next month
Even if she saw blood before the date of Onah Beinonis, she should erase the marked Onah Beinonis and calculate new one from most recent flow
There is always only one Onah Beinonis on the calendar
Canceling a Cycle
Example: Shevat / Adar
Canceling a Cycle Sivan / Tammuz Canceling a Veses Hachodesh When onah passed clean
Possibility #1 Flow began after the onah
Canceling a Cycle Sivan / Tammuz Canceling a Veses Hachodesh When onah passed clean
Possibility #2 Flow began earlier with Hefsek Taharah before the onah
Canceling a Cycle Tishrei
If flow began earlier and continued through the onah
There is difference of opinion among Chabad rabbonim
Consult your Rav ?
Canceling a Cycle Veses Haflaga Veses Haflaga numbers keep being counted from the most recent Hefsek Taharah until the specific haflaga number gets canceled
A larger haflaga number cancels any previous haflaga numbers that were smaller Flow began one month on 50th onah and next month on 52nd onah
Flow began one month on 50th onah and next month on 48th onah
Only count 52 from Hefsek Taharah
Count 48 and 50 from Hefsek Taharah
Canceling a Cycle Veses Haflaga Flow began
Applicable Haflaga numbers
Nissan
On 50th onah
50
Iyar
On 48th onah
48, 50
Sivan
On 46th onah
46, 48, 50
Tammuz
On 49th onah
46, 48, 49, 50
Av
On 52nd onah
49, 50, 52
All the Haflaga numbers are counted only from most recent Hefsek Taharah
Canceling a Cycle Kislev / Teves Example: Veses Haflaga was marked on 46th onah but flow began already on 44th onah
43 44 45 46
5
6
7
8
1 9
2
3
4
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Both numbers are counted from newest Hefsek Taharah and she marks 44th and 46th onos
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
Method of Recording
Method of Recording
The information is generally recorded in two places simultaneously:
Calendar
Chart
Method of Recording Keep a log in the chart:
Mark the following details about the period: (a) the onah it began (b) day of week and day of month (c) haflaga number (d) whether the previous number was canceled
Step 1:
Night/day
Day of week
Date
Haflaga number
Canceled
Night
Mon
ג' תשרי
45
X
Day
Sun
ל' תשרי
46
Method of Recording Mark calendar: Step 2:
Step 3:
Mark the day and onah when the flow began, and calculate the Onah Beinonis and Veses Hachodesh
After successful Hefsek Taharah count and mark Veses Haflaga