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Parshas Metzorah: Tevilah in a Mikveh No definitive Halacha LeMa'aseh conclusions should be applied to practical situations based on any of these Shiurim.
This Parsha describes the purification process for various individuals who have become Tomei, ritually impure; included in this process is the necessity for such a person to immerse himself or herself in a Mikveh. The Torah says specifically that the person must immerse his entire body in the water (VaYikra 15:16) the Gemara in Eiruvin (4b) derives from this that the minimum amount of water in the Mikveh must therefore be enough for a person to be able to immerse his entire body at once. The Gemara (Ibid.) figures out that this minimum volume is one Amoh by one Amoh by a height of three Amos of water. Translated into terms used for measuring liquid, this equals forty Sa'ah of water, which the Gemara (Ibid.) says is the minimum amount of water needed for the Mikveh to be Halachically usable, as codified by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 201:1). Since there are disputes as to the definition of an Amoh, there are also disputes as to how much water forty Sa'ah really is; most assume it to be the equivalent of approximately two hundred gallons. Practically speaking, of course, most Mikvaos today contain considerably more water than that so that people can immerse themselves comfortably and have room to spare. The Gemara there (Ibid.) also derives from the above Posuk (Ibid.) that the water must come into direct contact with the person's entire body; there can be no separation in between the water and the body. Any such separation is called a "Chatzitzah," the presence of which can invalidate the Tevilah. The Gemara (Ibid.) indicates that there are two major considerations to examine in order to determine whether or not a particular Chatzitzah invalidates the Tevilah. The first is whether or not the Chatzitzah covers most of the person's body (Rov) and the second is whether or not one is generally careful (Makpid) to remove such a Chatzitzah from one's body. The Gemara (Ibid.) explains that on a Torah level, which Rashi (Ibid. s.v. Divar Torah) says means based on a Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai, only something which indeed has both these qualities, that is, one is generally Makpid to remove it and it covers most of one's body, is considered a Chatzitzah. It should be noted that this explanation of the Gemara (Ibid.) follows the simple reading, as alluded to in Tosafos (Ibid. s.v. Rubo) and expressed by the Rambam (Hilchos Mikvaos 1:12). Rashi, however (Ibid. s.v. Rubo) appears to learn differently. The Gernara (Ibid.) goes on to say that the Rabbanan then made a decree classifying something as a Chatzitzah even if one is generally not Makpid to remove it, as long as it covers most of the body. They likewise classified as a Chatzitzah something which does not cover most of the body as long as one is generally Makpid to remove it. This latter statement explains the rule presented by the Mishnah in Mikvaos (9:3) that anything which a person is generally Makpid to remove constitutes a Chatzitzah. The Rambam (Hilchos Mikvaos Ibid.) thus concludes that if one had on his skin an item which can be classified as a Chatzitzah, even if it covers only a tiny part of his body, if he is generally Makpid about the removal of this item, any Tevilah he does would be invalid. But if he's generally not Makpid about the removal of this item, the Tevilah would be valid unless the item covers most of his body. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 198:1) concurs with this ruling. This would mean that a Chatzitzah which covers only a small part of the body and which one is not generally Makpid to remove would not invalidate one's Tevilah. The Ramo (Ibid.) adds, however, that L'Chatchilah one should not do the Tevilah even with such a Chatzitzah, meaning that it is preferable to remove even a small Chatzitzah, even if one would not generally be Makpid to remove such a thing (See Ibid. in the Shach Sif Katan 4). The Vilna Gaon (Biur HaGra Ibid. Sif Katan 4) refers to a comment of Tosafos in Bava Kamma (82a s.v. V'She'Tihei) which indicates that the custom is to wash off one's entire body before entering the Mikveh; this may be the source for the position of the Ramo (Ibid.). Many of these same rules apply to Tevilas Keilim, the immersion of utensils, also; the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 120:1) makes it clear that the same requirement to have forty Sa'ah of water applies to a Mikveh for Keilim as well. The Chochmas Adam (Klal 73 Sif 15) adds that the entire utensil must be immersed at once so that all parts of it are touching the water at the same time. Likewise regarding Chatzitzah, the Mishnah in Mikvaos (Ibid. Mishnah 7) posits the same rule for Keilim as we find for people. The Shulchan Aruch (Ibid. 202:2) thus writes that with Keilim too, anything which one is generally Makpid to remove is considered a Chatzitzah; if one is not Makpid to remove it, it is not a Chatzitzah unless it covers most of the utensil. The Shulchan Aruch (Ibid.120:13) rules, therefore, that one must remove all rust and dirt from the utensil prior to the Tevilah. The same would obviously be true for any tags, labels, or stickers which may be on the utensil. If one failed to remove such a Chatzitzah, the Tevilah would be invalid unless the foreign material covers only a small part of the utensil and people would not necessarily be Makpid to remove it before using the item, in which case the Tevilah would not need to be repeated. As a postscript, it is worth noting that the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 161:1) states that anything which constitutes a Chatzitzah for Tevilah also constitutes a Chatzitzah for Netilas Yodayim and must be removed. These same rules about Rov and Makpid thus apply as well to the Mitzvah of Netilas Yodayim. The Mishnah Berurah (Ibid. Sif Katan 1) gives a clear, concise summary of many of the above laws. |