2,053. Inspection Cloths Before and After Intimacy

Hilchos Issurei Biah 4:15

The cloths used for the aforementioned inspection must be from soft white linen and are called “eidim” (witnesses). The cloth that the man uses is called his witness and the cloth that the woman uses is called her witness.

Hilchos Issurei Biah 4:16

Modest women are not intimate without also self-inspecting beforehand. A woman who does not have a fixed time for her period may not be intimate without self-inspecting first. Accordingly, such a woman uses two “witnesses,” one before intimacy and one after. When a woman’s period arrives at a fixed time, however, then she need only use a “witness” before intimacy out of modesty. After intimacy, everyone needs two witnesses: one for the man and one for the woman. This includes a pregnant or nursing woman, an elderly woman and a minor. A virgin and a woman who has given birth and whose blood is considered pure do not require “witnesses” because blood is already flowing from them.