Jerusalem – With winter coming later each year and Israel facing a severe water crisis, the Ministry of Religious Services has launched a new initiative aimed at saving water.
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The ministry is encouraging mikvah operators across the country to install special filters that would enable mikvaot to recycle water and reduce the frequency of replacing water at the ritual baths.
The new move is expected to save some 35,314 cubic feet a year in the 700 mikvaot in Israel.
The ministry has allocated a special budget for the project, in order to facilitate the move for religious councils. Installing the special filters is also expected to ultimately save money for the councils by reducing water costs and sewage fees.
The annual expenditure of a mikvah is estimated to total about $5,000, and the investment in the filter, which costs $2,500, should pay for itself within two years.
Meanwhile, the ministry has also decided to promote the installation of new energy-saving water heating systems in mikvaot that would cut on spending and be more environmentally-friendly.
The new systems will be powered by gas and electricity and backed up by solar systems, replacing the existing diesel fuel-based – and highly polluting – systems.
Farvus nisht.
is it not a halacik problem to have filters in the mikva
The sea and natural bodies of water should be a “kosher” Mikva, and FREE
To #2
Having a Filter in a Mikveh Might make “Myiim Sheuvim” and therefore it is no longer a Mikveh. I am attaching the “Igros Moshe” but there many other Poskim talking about this as well:
שו”ת אגרות משה יורה דעה חלק א סימן קי
בסווימינג פול /בברכת שחיה/ ויש שם פילטער /מסננת/ אם אפשר לטבול שם. ו’ אייר תשי”ז. מע”כ ידידי תלמידי הרה”ג מהר”ר אפרים גרינבלאט שליט”א.
הנה בדבר הסווימינג פול אשר נעשה בקרקע באופן שכשר למקוה ומתחלה יורדים לשם מי גשמים יותר מארבעים סאה ואח”כ פותחים הברזא שלמעלה מהכותל ומתמלאת שכבר לא פוסלים, אבל יש פילטער שע”י עלעקטרע /חשמל/ יוצאים המים אל הפילטער ומתנקים שם המים מהלכלוך וחוזרים אל הסווימינג פול וכתבת שאף אם נניח שהמים שבהפילטער הם שאובין מ”מ לא פוסלים את המקוה משום דיש כאן מקוה כשרה, לא מובן לי כהוגן אופן העשיה דהרי כל המים רוצים לנקות אבל חושבני שכל העת נכנסין שם מקצת ויוצאין בחזרה כל העת ונמצא שנשאר שם לעולם שיעור מקוה כשרה. אבל אם כן הוא נתן סאה ונטל סאה בשאובין שלהרמב”ם פסול והש”ך בס”ק כ”ג כתב שיש להחמיר כדבריו.
ובעצם הדבר אם הפילטער מק”ט ואם יש בהמים הנכנסים לשם פסול שאובין, הנה אם הוא כלי שיכולין להשתמש בו גם בלא חבור הרי לא נעשה לקרקע ומק”ט אף לאחר שחברו לקרקע וכ”ש שעושה שאובין. ואם אין יכולין להשתמש בו אלא בחבור הרי נעשה על דעת לקבעו בקרקע ואינו מק”ט אף קודם שחברו אבל עכ”פ עושה דין שאובין כיון שעשאו כלי ואח”כ קבעו. ועיין בספרי דברות משה סי’ מ”ד ענף ג’ שבארתי כן באורך. ולכן לשיטת הרמב”ם פסולה לטבול שם שיש לנו להחמיר כדכתב הש”ך.
ומצד זחילה יותר נוטה שאין כאן פסול כיון דבאים להפילטער וחוזרים למקומם כדאיתא ברמ”א סעי’ נ’ מהריב”ש. ומש”כ הרמ”א כשיוצאין מעט וחוזרין שם לא מיקרי זחילה נראה דלאו דוקא מעט ולא מצאתי לא בריב”ש ולא בד”מ אות כ”ו לשון מעט. ולכן היה כשר להמכשירין נתן ונטל בשאובין אבל קצת יש להסתפק אולי מעט דוקא והיה טוב להפסיק עבודת הפילטער בשעת הטבילה כמו שכתבת. אבל הא אין להתיר מצד שיטת הרמב”ם.
ובדבר הסתימה מקום שיוצאין המים לחוץ בעת הנקוי צריך לידע במה נסתם שם אם הוא של מתכת ויכולים לסלקו בלא שבירה משום שנעשה בסראייפן /בהברגה/ אז יש טעם גדול להחשיב זה עצמו כלי ומק”ט, דלחיצת הכפתור של העלעקטערע הוא רק לפתוח ולסגור דלת הסתימה לכן תראה בעיניך ותודיעני. אבל למעשה הא בכל אופן יש לאסור מצד שיטת הרמב”ם. ידידו, משה פיינשטיין.
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it’s a good thing to encourage others to operate efficiently. what irks me is that whenever there’s a problem frum jews are to be blamed. there are many pools as well as other water sport facilities around the cournty, why is this message only addressed to the mikvahs? people reading this report figure that the water shortage is something caused by mikvas, which in turn brings to hatred towards frum yidden.
Every move that can help a Mikva save more money and energy will help the Mikva in the long run. It will help for itself to pay the bills and also for its public relations. There are people that are becoming religious that are deciding weather they should use a Mikva. When they see a Mikva could integrate with modern standards as well this might make them more comfortable to go to the mikva.
it’s not the mikvas that use the water, it’s the showers they have i went for years to the mikva in israel and people sat in those showers for ages.
is it not a halacik problem to have filters in the mikva
As I am personally involved in building and running mikvaos, I’ll throw in my two cents.
A filter pumps out water, runs it through the filter bed and runs it back into the pool. Therefore the water is considered ‘sheuvim’ just like tap water. But just as tap water it’s ok to use it when prior to that the mikva has a kosher amount of rainwater in it (or next to it via ‘hashoko’). This is the method used by most mikvaos. This is on condition that the filter is only allowed to be used PRIOR to toiveling. At time of toiveling there must not be any water flowing from the mikva or it becomes passul as ‘zoichlin’.
This new type of filter is a machine which sits inside the pool and does not hold the water in any type of receptacle and therefore it’s argued that the mikva can be used whilst it’s still working. (there are obvious benefits to have a filter working fulltime)
Guys, let’s all remember that we are not rabbonim, and out of respect for our gedolim we should not paskin.
Sure, many rabbonim actually prefer a filtered mikvah. That is not because it is halachakly preferred, but because they feel if the woman knows the water is filtered and heated, she is more likely to use it.
However, from what I understand, there ARE gedolim who really, seriously, questions the permissibility of these filters.
Even in you are a member of the groups who do believe in filters, please do not make like or put down those heilige rabbonim who oppose this custom. They do have makoros to rely on, just as your rabbonim do.
Therefor, other mikvaos, under the shitos of other gedolim do not like the filters at all. They prefer to change the water out.
The procedure, if I am correct, is to drain the mikvah, rinse it out, close the drain, and add 40 sahh of may geshumim, creating a “Mikvah.” Then they can add tap water, all clean and new, keeping the mikvah kosher to all opinions.
One rov explained to me that some rabbonim whose kehillos contained, or catered to, some people who were hesitant to go to the mikvah, and if they felt the mikvah was not clean would, chas v’sholom, not go, were the rabbonim more likely to matir the more lenient shitos. This is a very real and valid point. If you are in a community where you have the only mikvah, and many of the people are less than enthusiastically committed to following halacha, and may, G-d forbid miss going to the mikvah if they believe it is gross or not clean, I can certainly understand their seeking to use a filter.
Though, again, I am not saying the mikvah with filtered water is not kosher.
But, in communities where no one would even think of missing going to the mikvah, I can also see a rov’s desire to make it kosher L’Chol HaDayOs, and use every chumra possible. Why not? It can’ hurt?
But, in the filtered mikvuois, one needs to be extra careful that the filter is shut off during the day, so that it has stopped running completely before the mikvah is used.
I have heard of case, where the mikvah lady went Friday night to meet a woman at the mikvah, only to find the filter running. The poor woman had to come back motzoay Shabbos. But… what is worse, is that the woman said to the mikvah laday, “Other times I have come to the mikvah, and the filter was on. Why does it need to be shut off this time?”
So, obviously, more care needs to be given to make 100% sure the filter is turned off.
But, also, there are some problems with some filters. Quite a few knowledgable rabbonim will not allow the filters which are outside the mikvah at all. They will only allow the ones inside the mikvah.
But, PLEASE, when you hear or read about rabbonim who do not allow ANY filter, don’t jump on them. They are not stupid. They are not mean. They just have a different opinion.
Just like the controversy about bor al gabai bor. Some of us believe it is a hidur, while others will not use it at all. BOTH shitos have on what to rely on. Both sides contain talmiday chachomim.
All the above reasons point to the importance of governments keeking out of the mikva business. There are too many opinions, and each kehilla needs to be able to build a mikvah their own way, without pressure from anyone.
don’t mix in halch to have afilter in a “nusim” mikva was “asert” by a lot of “gedola yisrel” if you see isreal goverment whant to do it most probably against jewish law
new thing in mikva is dangerous don’t touch natural .rather change water every day “an aniyas bezbor” don’t be stingy for public.1 mistake 1 mikva will work by tovelig any mistake can hapen you helpet create “ben nida”
new thing can bring a lot danger & harm since “adam ” & abrham” &moses it was not used to change a serious thing .go your old way your save . give clean fresh water & change 1every day save on lawns to recicyle water not on mikva ..who knows what other new tecnolgi will arive good &save money & can be serious ??? shala 1 you start changeing their no limit “do not change”
It is already illegal to water lawns. They did do that first. The fines for watering a laws are astronomical.