IDF to allow married soldiers to return home for day of mikva immersion

 

The IDF has decided that every conscript who is married will now be entitled to a day off on the day a female soldier herself or a male soldier's wife immerses in the mikvah.

According to the new policy, the details of which have been distributed to all units in the past week, the policy will allow soldiers to take off for 24 hours which will not be counted towards the soldier's vacation days.

In the document that was distributed, it was emphasized that "the commander of the soldier is obligated to allow departure for the arranged day set forth in the policy, he can influence the date of departure." It was further emphasized that "this policy will be reviewed by the Personnel Division."

Under the new policy, soldiers in training will be entitled to return home one day each month, while soldiers who have completed their training and are performing their regular service will be entitled to return home one day every two months.

Major Eddie Schwartz, Assistant Chief Military Rabbi, welcomed the new directive in an internal WhatsApp group of the military rabbinate. "The issue of release on the night of immersion for married soldiers has been a complex issue for years," he wrote. "At the end of hard work, which began at the initiative of the rabbi of the Nahal Brigade, and continued with the work of the IDF training staff, a directive was issued last week that every married soldier would be entitled to a monthly 'arrangement day'."

"This will not solve all the cases, and it is important to remember that there are certainly operational constraints, but the new directive will solve many of the cases."

Under Jewish law (halakha), a woman who discerns menstrual blood cannot have relations with her husband for seven days after her menstrual flow has ended (a period of at least five days) and until at the end of the seven days she immerses in a ritual bath (mikvah). The new regulations will benefit religious soldiers who follow the halakha.