Rabbis Climb Into Pit to Ensure High Standard for Mikvah

Changing the waters in a mikvah is no simple process, and it had two rabbis climbing into the a pit, opening seals, and searching for even a single drop of water.

The Chabad Mikvah in Gaithersburg, MD, under the leadership of Rabbi Sholom Raichik recently replaced the mei geshomim in the Mikvah boros with fresh clean rainwater from the otzer mei geshomim. 

As reported on Anash.org, this past winter the Mikvah started refilling the otzer with fresh mei geshomim, in preparation to change the Mikvah’s mei geshomim boros. 

After the otzer filled to capacity with new fresh rain water, they emptied, washed, cleaned, and sanitized the mei geshomim boros in the Mikvah; the bor hatachton, and the bor min hatzad. The boros were dried using electric heaters and fans. and then refilled them with fresh rainwater from the otzer.

As the Chabad Mikvah of Gaithersburg, MD, has a separate otzer of mei geshomim, this process was done without any downtime for the Mikvah. The Mikvah was fully opened that night to serve its clientele. 

Mikvaos without an otzer mei geshomim, however, have to be shut down and wait for new rainwater, which can take weeks or months to accomplish this, to refill the Mikvah boros with fresh mei geshomim.

This process of changing the mei geshomim in the boros, is being done as per the directives and guidelines of the Rebbe Rashab that the rainwater in the Mikvah boros has to be changed every year. That was the same way the Rebbe Rashab himself managed the original Chabad Mikvah in Rostov over 104 years ago.

The following Chabad Rabbonim, renowned Mikvah experts, concur with this approach, that the mei geshomim has to be changed yearly, in order to categorize your Mikvah is as per the directives and guidelines of the Rebbe Rashab.

Harav Eli Landau – son of Harav Yaakov Landau a”h, Chief Rabbi of Bnai Brak. He supervised the building of the original Chabad Mikvah in Rostov.

Harav Berel Levine – Chief Librarian of the Rebbe’s Library,and author of סדר תיקוני מקוואות לפי תקנת רבותינו נשיאינו and many seforim on Halacha.

Harav Yosef Yitzchok Feigelstock, Rov of Kehilas Chabad Lubavitch, Argentina.   

Vaad Rabbonei Chabad of Eretz Yisroel – see here.

See also קונטרס תורת טבלין חלק ג, which can be found here.

As done previously, the mikvah Retained the services of Mikvah International under the leadership of Rabbi Elozor Raichik, to ensure that changing the mei geshomim in the boros is done to the highest standard of Halacha למהדרין מן המהדרין, the proper way a Mikvah should function.

Rabbi Raichik of Mikvah International and Harav Alexander Shlomo Pollack a world-renowned Mikvah expert, author of the Sefer מי שלמה על הלכות מקוואות, traveled to the Chabad Mikvah in Gaithersburg MD. They inspected and ensured that the seals they previously placed on the otzer and all adjacent rooms associated with the otzer where intact and not tampered with.

Then they climbed into the boros and ensured the boros were 100% “bone dry.”

When they were satisfied everything was in proper halachik order, the otzer plugs were removed and fresh mei geshomim flowed into the Mikvah boros. The stored mei geshomim in the otzer was 100% crystal clear. The actual filling of mei geshomim took approximately 90 minutes.

The reserve otzer is now refilling with fresh mei geshomim, and bez”h, next year the Mikvah will be repeating this process and replacing the mei geshomim in the Mikvah boros, to ensure the Mikvah conforms to the directives and guidelines of the Rebbe Rashab.