Question:
I’m a bochur I live at home I had a large pile of clothes and blankets from anytime that I chas v’shalom had a mikrah balaila that I was keeping separate and not touching or having washed with other laundry as I do not do my laundry and I’m very OCD and makpid to go to mikvah for that type of tumah, and then a family member came into my room and took all of those clothes and blankets out of my room to be washed…..
1. Anything that those clothes touched (floor, clothing, walls, etc) do I have to worry may have tumah on them or worse dried zera on them and can I daven wearing clothes that these things touched etc..
2. Once this family member washes them do i have to worry anymore that there is tumah in or on them, or is one wash enough?
3. Being that I am OCD what is the normal way to go about touching these types of tumah items?
Thanks and sorry
Answer:
It is controversial if zera on ones clothes is considered like tzoyah (fecal matter) or not. The halacha is that it isn’t.
Even according to those who say that it is regarded as tzoyah, if it on one’s clothes or blankets it is only applicable when davening etc. and not at other times of the day, so your blanket is surely fine. Even for your clothes, after they are washed- once- they are totally fine, as the tumah isn’t there anymore and not using them is bal tashchis.
Similar to tzoyah, if a garment that has tzoyah on one part of it touches something else the other things doesn’t get dirty. So too here, the second item is totally fine.
Being that you are OCD the way to go about touching these items is exactly the way you would touch anything else, because the tumah is not on the whole garment.
Someone with OCD has to know that what is halacha, applies for everyone, and whatever fears you have that are not in the realm of halacha are yetzer hora. If you are not going to daven because of fears of tumah that halacha says is alright, then you are not davening when H-shem says that you have to, and it is only your yetzer hora telling you not to do the mitzvah.
Sources:
Magen Avrohom 76-7, M:B 76-15. Shulchan Aruch Horav 76-4.
