Q&A: The Sensation of Menstrual Blood
The Sensation of Menstrual Blood
Question
A woman who does not feel blood leaving her body (even though she is aware that she is at the time of her period, and at that time blood is flowing from her body) — can one nevertheless say that seeing a regular menstrual flow has the status of seeing blood that is forbidden on a Torah level?
If so, why? After all, insofar as it is a scriptural decree (according to the views of the medieval authorities that this indeed is a scriptural decree) that a woman does not become impure except through sensation, what basis is there on the Torah level to discuss the reason for the verse and intuitive speculations?
Answer
I didn’t understand the question. How does she know? She has no sensation and no blood.
In general, logical reasoning and the reason for the verse are used by the Sages very often, despite the rule that we do not generally expound the reason for the verse. This is especially so when dealing with laws derived from exegetical interpretations and not written explicitly in the verses; in my opinion, the rule that we do not expound the reason for the verse was not said there at all. And the Tosafot HaRosh wrote in Bava Metzia 90 that we do expound it when the reason is clear. There is more to elaborate on here.