Question:
Iv’e seen/heard many concerns about people making their first seder, leading to the purchase of new pots, silverware, and other utensils but since the mikvaos are closed have nowhere to toivel them. Can one:
1. Use a lake?
2. Use a river?
3. Use an ocean?
4. Use a swimming pool?
5. Can a woman who is going anyways, toivel things with her?
6. Can one sell it to their non-Jewish neighbor? Rent from a non-Jewish rental agency?
Thanks!
Answer:
1-3 The rule with using a lake river or ocean, is that if the body of water is mostly from it’s own water and not from rain awater then it is fine to tovel the kli inside it. Additionally even if the water is mostly rain water, if the water is still and not flowing, like a lake, then it is permitted to tovel the kli inside it. Therefore an ocean or a ake is permitted for tevilas keilim. Regarding a river that is flowing it would depend in the time of the year, and the area that the river is located. If there is doubt that it might be mostly rain water that is flowing then it could be problematic, but if it is mostly from it’s own water then it is fine.
4. A swimming pool should not be used as a mikva for keilim since it is not from rain water, and even if it is, it was flowing when the filter was used.
5. If the woman is anyways going to tovel, then obviously it is a kosher mikva, then a kli can be toveled inside it, but under the condition that the owner of the mikva agrees to it.
6. Renting the utensil from a gentile is a good idea here, because since it belongs to the gentile there is no need to tovel it. There are poskim that suggest to sell it to a gentile, so it will be owned by him, and then it should be bought back when you can tovel it.
Best wishes
Sources:
Y:D 201-2, Darcei Teshuva Y:D 120-22, Kinyan Deah (Hilchos Tevila Keilim) pg. 237, Shulchan Halevi 24-37, Ohel Yackov 120-23,
Regarding #5, many mikvaos STRICTLY prohibit immersing dishes in the pools where people immerse themselves.
This is due to safety concerns about glass breakage, and they therefore make a universal ban against immersing any kind of dish, even metal.
If the particular mikva has such a policy, then if someone ignores the rule, and uses it for immersing dishes, then this might be considered STEALING.
The best thing to do is to ask those in charge if they would be able to be flexible in theses trying times, and to get explicit permission to use the mikva for these particular types of dishes
I think it would be wise to qualify the answer to 4 that it is subject to permission from the mikva operator. For instance I imagine that most mikvas wouldn’t allow tevilah of glass keilim due to the risk of breakage.
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