Halachot and Customs
May a husband eat from his niddah wife's plate?
Question
Sometimes I am not able to finish the food I prepared for myself on my plate (for example, a pita with shawarma). Can my husband finish it for me when I am in niddah? Thank you
Answer
Greetings,
If your husband follows Sephardic custom, it is permitted for him to eat what you left on the plate, because according to Sephardic custom, a husband is specifically forbidden to drink from the remainder of a cup left by his niddah wife, as explained in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, section 195, paragraph 4, but it is permitted to eat from the remainder of her food, as explained in Sefer Taharat HaBayit, part 2, section 12, paragraph 17. And if he follows Ashkenazic custom, it is forbidden for him to eat what you left on the plate, as explained in the Shach there, subparagraph 8, unless he transfers the food to another plate, as explained in the Rema there.
With blessing, Hillel Meirs
