I was gratified to read Rabbi Menachem Genack’s positive review of the book “Nishmat HaBayit: Responsa on Pregnancy, Birth and Family Planning” in your July 26 edition. I too found the work containing contributions from several knowledgeable Yoatzot Halacha to be thorough and well-presented.

I was also glad to see a prominent talmid chacham of Rabbi Genack’s stature unhesitatingly approve of the idea of having qualified women trained to address issues relating to taharat hamishpacha. I see little room for doubt that there are more than a few women who would prefer not to discuss certain private matters in this highly sensitive area with their rabbi, even if they have great respect for him. I therefore think that it is safe to assume that in consequently opting to keep various concerns to themselves, there are some women who make decisions which are either improperly lenient or needlessly stringent from the point of view of halacha as well as those who simply do not deal with underlying problems regarding intimate relationships from a religious perspective.

The presence in the community specifically of women who have been well educated at a high level not only in terms of the technical laws of family purity, but also in terms of related subjects such as marital intimacy and potential challenges associated with it, provides an opportunity for those women who wish to avail themselves of it to receive appropriate guidance in these important realms in an atmosphere in which they are more comfortable conversing about these sensitive, personal topics than they are when in the presence of a man.

The articles in this particular book reflect the general seriousness and the commitment to halachic detail of their authors who clearly have something worthwhile to contribute to our community.