Can a swimming pool be used as a Mikvah?

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Forum -> Judaism -> Halachic Questions and Discussions

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amother

Amber

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 10:37 pm

On vacation when there are no mikvahs nearby?

thunderstorm

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 10:39 pm

amother wrote:

On vacation when there are no mikvahs nearby?

I don't think a pool is rainwater. I thought that a kosher mikvah needs to have rain water but I may be wrong

BetsyTacy

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 10:41 pm

I would be astounded to hear of a swimming pool not intended as a mikveh to be a kosher mikveh. There are a lot of halachos, and I did say halachos as opposed to chumros, involved.

amother

Green

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 10:47 pm

On vacation? A dip in a natural body of water late late at night.

amother

Smokey

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 10:59 pm

Mikva water has to come from a natural source, amongst many other halachos.
A pool is fine for a man but not for a women.

amother

Black

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 11:51 pm

It is definitely not considered a kosher Mikva. However I heard that some allow men to toivel in a pool since halachos for men are much more lenient. Definitely not for women.

BetsyTacy

Thu, Aug 23 2018, 11:57 pm

Women's mikvah needs and mens's mikvah needs are apples and oranges. Kareis vs. minhag.
I assume on a woman's forum that mikvah refers to a woman's mikvah unless otherwise indicated.

Raisin

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 6:03 am

no. It needs to be a natural body of water, for a woman. The sea is definitely ok, lakes and rivers I think also, but ask your lor.

watergirl

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 6:27 am

What everyone else said. But to add to it - the mikvah must be “maayim chaim” - living water. It must be moving, not stagnant. A kosher women’s mikvah has 2 parts - the pool (which is what you see and what you immerse in, which is chlorinated and tap water) and the bor, which is what you dont see. The bor is the rain water. Depending on the construction of the mikvah, the bor is under or next to the pool. There is an opening connecting the bor with the pool, allowing the actual rain water to mix and flow between the two.

shabbatiscoming

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 6:41 am

amother wrote:

On vacation? A dip in a natural body of water late late at night.

Just to point out, not every vacation destination is near a natural body of water Smile

amother

Black

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 6:50 am

amother wrote:

On vacation? A dip in a natural body of water late late at night.

Not every lake is natural. Some are man made.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 7:24 am

The halachot of mikvaot are so incredibly complex, I would not rely on it.

Is there no Chabad within an hour or so drive of your vacation place?

amother

Green

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 8:38 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Just to point out, not every vacation destination is near a natural body of water Smile

I know.

amother

Green

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 8:41 am

amother wrote:

Not every lake is natural. Some are man made.

I didn't say anything about a lake. But I should add that not all natural bodies of water meet mikvah criteria anyway. But odds are better that this is the direction to go in (if at all possible) then a swimming pool.

Email your Rav OP.

amother

Bisque

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 9:25 am

I feel so bad for you but the schar you get is a big one! Try to get to a place that is near by unless you're in yuhupitzvile

thanks

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 9:37 am

amother wrote:

Not every lake is natural. Some are man made.

A man made Lake is OK if it was filled with rainwater. If initially water from a hose was used, it would be a problem.
It would be really hard to find out how a lake was filled.

amother

Amber

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 10:21 am

Oh well that would have been convenient. There is a Mikvah in the closest city to where we are staying but my night is tonight. Could I call to see if I can dip today or is that rude to ask?

amother

Orchid

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 12:00 pm

No. Absolutely not. For a lot of reasons.
Doesn't matter if you're on vacation or on anything else.
Get in touch with closest Chabad.
If you're let's say vacationing on Mars and there's no Chabad you're out of luck.
Body of water also has parameters that you need to discuss with your rabbi to find out if it's good. Most natural bodies of water are okay, but can be dangerous. That's just as big a concern as whether or not they're kosher bodies of water for this purpose.
I have heard of men using a swimming pool but men using mikve is very different than ladies, no de'oraita involved there.
Halachot are very complicated. Personally I'd rely on Chabad, but it's always a good idea to find out which rabbi oversees building and maintenance of mikve you're using, and for sure to inquire in advance about using a natural body of water.

amother

Orchid

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 12:04 pm

amother wrote:

OP, my "no" was to using swimming pool, not to your latest question of calling today.
You can call but I'm not sure you're allowed to dip today (I can't answer that for you, you need to ask a rabbi) and I obviously don't know if they'll take your call or open up for you today.

sarahmalka

Fri, Aug 24 2018, 12:26 pm

I was given permission to dip during the daytime and not night. Ask a rav. But for me it was the day after my mikvah night, maybe that makes a difference (we were not able to access any mikvah at all the night of). Mikvah should definitely be able to accommodate a daytime tovel.

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