“We are very careful about the kashrus of food products, but the kashrus of Mikvahs — which involves aveiros punishable by kareis! — gets pushed to the back of our collective consciousness!” Just over 10 years have passed since the groundbreaking meeting between Gedolei Ha’dor and Merkaz L’Taharat Ha’Mishpacha. Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman, zt”l, Rabbi Avraham Genichovsky, the president of Merkaz L’Taharat Ha’Mishpacha, and the Rabbanim of the organization were discussing various issues when R’ Aharon Leib suddenly turned to those present and asked, “Who is supervising the kashrus of the Mikvahs that you are building? Who is checking that the Mikvahs maintain their kosher status?” Until that point, Merkaz L’Taharat Ha’Mishpacha had built, renovated, and supervised Mikvahs but did not have an active kashrus supervision department. “A Mikvah that is not kosher is not a Mikvah!” R’ Aharon Leib stated emphatically. As a direct result of that meeting, Merkaz L’Taharat Ha’Mishpacha’s kashrus supervision department was formed. To date, there are four kashrus supervision teams that travel daily across the length and breadth of Eretz Yisrael to check the halachic status of over 1,000 Mikvahs. This past year, the kashrus maintenance teams checked and serviced 517 Mikvahs. The team also handled the preparation and replacement of the rainwater and hashakah and zeriah reservoirs in hundreds of other Mikvahs. Over the years, the kashrus supervision teams have been inundated with inquiries about various halachic issues regarding the kashrus of Mikvahs. Many of the questioners are the Rabbanim of small towns, but also leading Rabbanim and outstanding talmidei chachamim who, despite their erudition, lack practical experience in hilchos Mikvaos. It has often happened in the course of inspections that the kashrus supervision team discovers that those responsible for the Mikvah are unaware of halachic problems that have cropped up due to various factors, including natural wear and tear or even repairs by local maintenance specialists who were ignorant of the pertinent halachos. The following is a brief explanation of how a kosher Mikvah works, without going into the myriad details and methods needed to ensure the kashrus of the facility. A kosher Mikvah is dependent on rainwater that has not been rendered pasul en route to the bor tevilah. The mikveh structure includes a roof designed to collect rainwater to fill the reservoirs of hashakah and zeriah. The hashakah reservoir is located parallel to the bor tevilah and is filled with 40 se’ah (approximately 1000 liters) of rainwater. Through a unique hole, situated in the bor hashakah that is at water level, the ordinary water in the bor tevilah touches (hashakah means touching) the kosher rainwater from the bor hashakah, rendering the regular water kosher. The otzar zeriah is a reservoir in its overall appearance, but has a different function. It also contains forty se’ah of rainwater, but the ordinary water from the Mikvah enters the zeriah cisterns where it mingles (“seeds”) with the rainwater. There is a hole in the reservoir above water level, and the mingled (“seeded”) waters pour into the bor tevilah. There are Mikvahs where there are large reservoirs of rainwater, and the water in the boros of hashakah and zeriah can be replaced throughout the year. The kashrus supervision team oversees the proper collection of rainwater during the rainy months. A kosher Mikvah relies […]
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