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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>RSM: </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>"This, if true, sounds like a serious
problem of chatzitza b'tvila to me (IIAMN, the henna party often preceeds the
tvila by several days). ..."</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>SA YD 198:17 - "Colour with which women colour
their faces and hands and the hair of their head is not chotzetz, and similarly
a dyer whose hands are dyed - it is not chotzetz."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>BY explains this, quoting RoSH: "Women
who colour themselves - it appears that this is not chotzetz because it is
decorative and they are not makpid but do so intentionally, and furthermore the
colour has no independent substance but is merely an appearance."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>AFAIK, we can be lenient with hair
dye because she is ainah makpedet - on the contrary, she wants her hair to
be dyed, and also because the dye has no independent substance but is absorbed
into the hair. (I imagine that the same principle would apply if one were matbil
an item of dyed clothing for tumah/taharah purposes?)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I assume that we can be lenient about
henna on hands (cosmetic and absorbed into the skin) based on similar
principles. In fact, with hands, there is definitely no problem of rov. With
hair there is a problem of rov according to some Rishonim - but as we have
seen the dye is considered part of the hair, not a separate substance that
intervenes between the hair and the water. As you can see, both cases are
brought down in the SA as mutar.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>RnTK "<FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>was told
that we posken not to make a fuss if women <BR>show up at the mikva with
fake (glued-on) fingernails, colorful polished <BR>manicures, or
dyed hair."</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Re dyed hair - see above. Acrylic nails or nail
polish is a minority of her body about which she is not makpedet - in
fact, the polish or acrylic is decorative and she wants it to remain
in place. Long nails are not inherently a chatzitza - they are part of her body
- the custom to cut them short is based on the difficulty in cleaning them
properly. Some authorities consider this an absolute requirement, but others
leave room for leniency and it is not uncommon especially for kallot to be
allowed to clean their nails well without cutting them short.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For both hair dye and nail polish - the dye or
polish should be in good condition, not chipped or growing out in such a way
that most women would not like the way it looked. Dye or polish that looks bad
is no longer considered a desirable cosmetic.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>L'chat'chila, we try to remove all foreign
substances before tevilah. Bediavad - when a woman has a need or desire not
to remove some foreign object (e.g., a medical, cosmetic, or unremovable item) a
specific individual she'elah should always be asked, especially if the
alternative is delaying mikveh or chas v'shalom dropping mikveh observance
altogether.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>- Ilana</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>