✦ ❖ ✦ D A A T · L E V E L 3 — S Y N T H E S I S / R E V I E W ✦ ❖ ✦
Siman 120 — Tevilat kelim — immersing vessels acquired from a non-Jew
דיני טבילת הכלים
Which vessels require tevila and which are exempt, with or without a berakha: materials, use, mode of acquisition, the mikveh of forty se'ah and what makes an immersion valid
Structured review, psak tables, fast memorization
Source: Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah ק״כ — 16 seifim
Nossei kelim: ש״ך (Shach) · ט״ז (Taz) · באר הגולה · ביאור הגר״א · פתחי תשובה (Pitchei Teshuva)
Compiled by: הרב יוסף חיים סממה · DAAT
For students who have mastered Levels 1 and 2
daattorah.com
📑 Plan of the synthesis
- The axiom: where tevila comes from and what it applies to
- The 3 reflex questions: material · use · mode of acquisition
- Master grid A — the materials (seifim 1, 6, 7)
- Master grid B — the use: כלי סעודה or not (seifim 4, 5, 7)
- Master grid C — the mode of acquisition (seifim 8-11, 16)
- The mikveh, the berakha and a valid immersion (seifim 1-3, 12-15)
- The 6 golden rules
- Mnemonic — the memory aid « טבילה »
- The 5 classic pitfalls
- Recap of the 16 seifim — one line each
- Final flash card
1. The axiom: where tevila comes from and what it applies to
The starting point:
Siman 120 deals neither with absorbed taste nor with kashering — that is
Siman 121. It deals with a
change of ownership: a meal vessel that passes from a non-Jew's hand into a Jew's must be
immersed in a mikveh before being used,
even if it is brand new and has never served. The mishna in Avodah Zarah teaches « הַלּוֹקֵחַ כְּלֵי תַּשְׁמִישׁ מִן הַגּוֹיִם », and the gemara adds three restrictions that govern the whole siman: tevila applies only to
meal vessels — « כְּלֵי סְעוּדָה אֲמוּרִין בַּפָּרָשָׁה » —, only to
metal — « כְּלֵי מַתָּכוֹת אֲמוּרִין בַּפָּרָשָׁה » —, and only to what is
acquired — « לֹא שָׁנוּ אֶלָּא בִּלְקוּחִין… אֲבָל שְׁאוּלִין » (עבודה זרה ע״ה ע״ב).
| The verse | What the gemara derives | The consequence in the siman |
|---|
| « כָּל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא בָאֵשׁ תַּעֲבִירוּ בָאֵשׁ וְטָהֵר » (במדבר ל״א כ״ג) | Scripture added a further purification beyond kashering: one by water | Immersion in a mikveh, on top of kashering |
| « בְּמֵי נִדָּה » in the same verse | The water in which a nidda immerses, that is forty se'ah | A mikveh or spring of ארבעים סאה (seif 1) |
| « אֲפִילּוּ כֵּלִים חֲדָשִׁים בַּמַּשְׁמָע » | New vessels are included: tevila does not depend on absorbed taste | אף על פי שהם חדשים — seif 1 |
💡 The landmark: do not confuse הגעלה / ליבון (expelling a forbidden taste — Siman 121) with טבילה (moving the vessel out of the non-Jew's ownership into Israel's). The Taz gives the reason for tevila: summary — that the vessel leave the non-Jew's impurity for the holiness of Israel (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק א). That is why a new vessel is included and why a borrowed one is not: everything turns on whose vessel it is.
⚖ A foundational machloket: Torah law or rabbinic?
The Rambam writes that this immersion of meal vessels bought from a non-Jew is not a matter of ritual purity at all and is מדברי סופרים, the verse serving only as a רמז (רמב״ם הלכות מאכלות אסורות פרק י״ז הלכה ה). The Taz, by contrast, writes explicitly that טבילת כלים דאורייתא, and from that he derives that a minor is not believed about the immersion (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ט״ז). Note the practical difference: the more one holds tevila to be Torah law, the less one relies on a doubt — hence the Shach's constant reflex in every uncertain case: immerse without a berakha, or immerse the doubtful vessel together with one that is certainly obligated.
2. The 3 reflex questions
■ 1. WHAT IS IT MADE OF? (מתכות / זכוכית / עץ) — metal and glass: tevila with a berakha; vessels coated with lead (המצופים באבר) on the inside: tevila, but the Rama rules without a berakha, « וכן נוהגין »; bare wood, stone and earthenware: nothing at all (seifim 1, 6, 7).
↓ if the material obligates, what is it used for?
■ 2. WHAT IS IT USED FOR? (כלי סעודה or not) — is the food itself placed on it or eaten from it as it is? The grill on which the food itself is laid: yes; the trivet that only holds the pot: no; the shechita knife and the matza irons, which serve at a stage when the food is not yet edible: no (seifim 4, 5).
↓ if it is indeed a meal vessel, how did it reach you?
■ 3. HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT? (לקוחין or not) — bought from a non-Jew: tevila. Borrowed or rented: nothing. Pledged with you, seized by an official, bought back after a sale, made by a non-Jewish craftsman: this is where the whole middle of the siman is decided (seifim 8-11).
3. Master grid A — the materials
Based on the Mehaber and Rama in seif 1, together with seifim 6 and 7 on composite vessels, with the Shach and the Taz.
| Vessel | Tevila? | Berakha? | Source |
|---|
| Meal vessel of metal (מתכות), even brand new |
🔴 Yes |
Yes |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א |
| Meal vessel of glass (זכוכית) |
🔴 Yes |
Yes |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק א |
| Vessel coated with lead on the inside (המצופים באבר מבפנים) |
🟡 Yes |
The Rama: י״א without a berakha, « וכן נוהגין » |
שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:א ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ג |
| Vessel coated with glass (enamelled) |
🟡 Like the lead-coated |
The same |
ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ב, in the name of או״ה כלל נ״ח |
| Bare wood, stone, earthenware |
🟢 No |
— |
רמב״ם הלכות מאכלות אסורות פרק י״ז הלכה ו |
| Wooden vessel with iron hoops on the outside (חשוקים) |
🟢 No |
— |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ו ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ב raises a צ״ע |
| Silver cup set into a wooden vessel |
🔴 Yes |
Yes, according to the Shach |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ז ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ג |
| Vessel essentially of wood with a little iron fixed in it, usable without it |
🟢 No |
— |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז |
| Vessel mounted on inner iron pegs, unusable without them |
🔴 Yes |
Yes |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז |
📌 Key reading: for a composite vessel the question is never “is there metal in it?” but « עיקר הכלי » — what is the substance of the vessel. A wooden barrel bound with iron hoops remains a wooden vessel; a silver cup set in a wooden mount remains a silver cup. The Rama's working test: summary — could it be used without the metal part? If so, it is wood; if not, and the metal is on the inside, it is a metal vessel (רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז).
4. Master grid B — the use: כלי סעודה or not
The gemara's criterion — « כְּלֵי סְעוּדָה אֲמוּרִין בַּפָּרָשָׁה » — is cashed out in concrete cases in seifim 4, 5 and 7.
| Vessel | Tevila? | The criterion | Source |
|---|
| Trivets (טריפיד״ש) on which pots are set |
🟢 No |
The food never touches them |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ד |
| Grills (פדיליא״ש) on which the food is laid |
🔴 Yes |
The food itself is put on them |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ד ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ט |
| Shechita knife, and a skinning knife |
🟡 יש מי שאומר: no |
At that stage the animal is not yet edible; the Rama: יש חולקין, it is good to immerse it without a berakha |
שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ה ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ז |
| Matza irons |
🟢 No |
The dough still needs baking |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ה ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״א |
| The cover placed over the bread to bake it |
🟢 No |
The same reason |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ה |
| A pot lid |
🔴 Yes |
It is part of the meal vessel itself |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ה, in the name of הגהות אשיר״י |
| Pepper mill with a fixed iron shaft in a wooden body |
🔴 Yes |
The iron is fixed and it is what grinds |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ד: the lower receptacle, being all wood, is exempt |
| Funnels and taps of iron or another metal |
🔴 Yes |
The whole vessel is metal |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ט״ו: a wooden funnel with an iron spout is exempt |
5. Master grid C — the mode of acquisition
The heart of the siman: four seifim (8 to 11) and seif 16 unfold a single question — is the vessel לקוח, that is, has it truly passed into a Jew's ownership?
| Case | Tevila? | The decisive detail | Source |
|---|
| Purchase from a non-Jew |
🔴 Yes, with a berakha |
The base case of seif 1 |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א |
| Borrowing (שואל) or renting (שוכר) from a non-Jew |
🟢 No |
It is not לקוח: it is still his |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ח |
| Bought by one Jew, then lent to another Jew |
🔴 Yes |
summary — the obligation already arose in the first one's hand |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ח |
| The first buyer did not take it for meal use (to cut parchments) |
🟡 יש מי שאומר: the second need not immerse it |
But the first may not use it for meal purposes, even occasionally, without tevila (Rama) |
שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ח ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ז |
| A second Jew buys it from him for meal use |
🔴 Yes |
The obligation falls on the second |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ח ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ח |
| A non-Jew pledges a vessel with a Jew and means to leave it there |
🔴 Yes |
His intent to forfeit it counts as a sale |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט |
| The same pledge, intent unknown |
🟡 Immerse without a berakha |
Or buy another vessel and immerse them together |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ט |
| The pledge is finally forfeited to him |
🟡 Immerse again without a berakha |
The Rama, in the name of a responsum of the מהרי״ל |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ט ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ׳ |
| A Jew gives his own silver to a non-Jewish craftsman to make him a vessel |
🟡 Mehaber: no — Rama: יש חולקין, immerse without a berakha |
The question is whether we follow the material or the maker |
שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ב |
| Part of the metal belongs to the non-Jew |
🔴 Yes |
The Rama; and the Shach: with a berakha |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ״ב |
| A Jewish craftsman made the vessel for a non-Jew, then bought it back |
🟡 Without a berakha if all the metal was the non-Jew's |
If he made it for himself, or supplied part of the metal: nothing |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ״ג, כ״ד |
| A Jew sells to a non-Jew and then buys it back |
🔴 Yes |
It is a genuine purchase from a non-Jew |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:י״א |
| A Jew had only pledged it with the non-Jew and redeemed it |
🟢 No |
It never left his ownership |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:י״א ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ד |
| A vessel bought in partnership by a Jew and a non-Jew |
🟢 No |
It remains partly the non-Jew's |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י״א ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ״ו |
| Vessels stolen from a Jew and returned |
🟢 No |
A thief cannot display them: they never bore his name |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י״א ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ט״ו |
| Vessels seized by an officer or a ruler and returned |
🔴 Yes |
They had already been נשתקעו in his hand |
רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י״א ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ״ז |
| One forgot to immerse before Shabbat or Yom Tov |
🟡 Give it as a gift to a non-Jew, then borrow it back |
The Taz: a temporary expedient only |
שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ז ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ח |
📌 Key reading: this whole grid reduces to one pivot — לקוחין against שאולין. Every case asks only: has the vessel truly become the Jew's? A pledge is doubtful because its ownership is doubtful; partnership does not exempt because the non-Jew keeps a share; theft does not obligate because the thief could never call himself the owner; seizure does obligate because the authority genuinely made it his own.
6. The mikveh, the berakha and a valid immersion
The place and the measure
A mikveh or spring of forty se'ah (seif 1) — the gemara derives it from the words « בְּמֵי נִדָּה » and teaches « וְכוּלָּן צְרִיכִין טְבִילָה בְּאַרְבָּעִים סְאָה » (עבודה זרה ע״ה ע״ב). The Taz discusses the question of the spring and of the required measure (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ב).
The berakha
| Case | Wording | Source |
|---|
| A single vessel | על טבילת כלי | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ג |
| Two vessels or more | על טבילת כלים | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ג |
| According to other poskim | על טבילת כלי מתכות | ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ח, in the name of the ב״ח and או״ה — the Taz questions this (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ה) |
| Doubtful cases (coated vessel, shechita knife, pledge, craftsman) | Without a berakha — or together with a vessel that is certainly obligated | ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ה |
What invalidates or hinders the immersion
| Point | The rule | Source |
|---|
| Holding the vessel | It must be רפוי בידו — loose in the hand. Gripped tightly, that is a חציצה. If one first wet one's hand, there is no concern | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ב |
| With what water to wet the hand | The Rama: only with mikveh water, not with drawn water (מים תלושים) | רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ב ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ד ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ז |
| The handles | One must immerse ידי הכלי — the handles and grips | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:י״ב |
| Rust | Remove the חלודה beforehand. If not removed: if one is particular about it, it interposes; a residue that cannot be removed is מיעוטו שאינו מקפיד and does not interpose | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:י״ג, which refers to the laws of חציצה in Siman 202 |
| A minor | He is not believed about the immersion; but if he immersed in front of an adult, the immersion counts (Rama) | שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י״ד ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ט״ז |
| A non-Jew | If he immersed the vessels, the immersion counts; but he is not believed that he did it (Rama) | שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ו ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ז ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק כ״ח |
💡 Worth noting: the Shach raises a צ״ע on seif 2 — the Rambam writes that one who holds vessels and immerses them leaves them impure even if he loosened his grip, גזירה שמא לא ירפה, and permits only where one first rinsed one's hands in the water (רמב״ם הלכות מקואות פרק ב׳ הלכה י״א ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ו). Hence the widespread practice of laying the vessel in a perforated basket rather than holding it.
7. The 6 golden rules
- Metal and glass, even brand new, require tevila. Newness is no exemption: tevila is not a kashering (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א).
- Meal vessels only. Whatever serves at a stage when the food is not yet edible — the shechita knife, the matza irons — is exempt (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ד-ה).
- Borrowed or rented: nothing. Only what is acquired obligates — the gemara's « לֹא שָׁנוּ אֶלָּא בִּלְקוּחִין » (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ח).
- In a composite, follow the עיקר. Usable without the metal → a wooden vessel; unusable without it and the metal is inside → a metal vessel (רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ז).
- In doubt: immerse without a berakha, or immerse the doubtful vessel together with one certainly obligated — the Shach's constant reflex (ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ה ; ס״ק ט״ז).
- Forgotten before Shabbat: gift it to a non-Jew, then borrow it. The Taz limits the expedient to that Shabbat, or to a time when one has no mikveh (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ז ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ח).
8. Mnemonic — the memory aid « טבילה »
ט-ב-י-ל-ה — the five letters of the word טבילה
- ט — טעם: tevila moves the vessel from the non-Jew's ownership to Israel's, not from forbidden to permitted (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק א).
- ב — ברכה: על טבילת כלי in the singular, על טבילת כלים in the plural; and in doubt, without a berakha (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ג).
- י — ידות: immerse up to the handles, remove the rust, hold the vessel loosely (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ב, י״ב, י״ג).
- ל — לקוחין: acquired only — borrowed and rented are exempt (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ח).
- ה — הערמה: forgotten before Shabbat, one gives it to a non-Jew and borrows it back (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ז).
The ladder of acquisition — from the most obligated to the most exempt
- קנייה (purchase) → tevila with a berakha (seif 1)
- משכון לשקעו (a pledge meant to be kept) → tevila: the intent counts as a sale (seif 9)
- משכון בספק (a pledge of uncertain outcome) → tevila without a berakha (seif 9)
- שותפות (partnership with a non-Jew) → exempt: his share remains (seif 11)
- שאלה ושכירות (borrowing and renting) → exempt: it is not לקוח (seif 8)
9. The 5 classic pitfalls
❌ Pitfall 1 — Confusing tevila with kashering: a
brand-new vessel, never used and holding nothing, still requires tevila — « אֲפִילּוּ כֵּלִים חֲדָשִׁים בַּמַּשְׁמָע » (עבודה זרה ע״ה ע״ב). Conversely, tevila never replaces the הגעלה of a vessel used with forbidden food: that is
Siman 121, and the order is
first kasher,
then immerse.
❌ Pitfall 2 — Thinking every metal object is included: the gemara restricts twice — « כְּלֵי סְעוּדָה אֲמוּרִין בַּפָּרָשָׁה » and « כְּלֵי מַתָּכוֹת אֲמוּרִין בַּפָּרָשָׁה ». A trivet that only holds the pot, the shechita knife and the matza irons are not meal vessels and require nothing — even if they are solid steel (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ד-ה).
❌ Pitfall 3 — Immersing the vessel while gripping it tightly: gripped, that is a חציצה and the immersion is worthless. It must be held רפוי, or one must have wet one's hand first — and the Rama specifies: in mikveh water, not in drawn water (שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ב). Another common omission: the handles and grips, which must be immersed too (שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:י״ב).
❌ Pitfall 4 — Taking a pledge for a purchase, or a purchase for a pledge: the siman's two pledges run in opposite directions. A non-Jew who pledges with a Jew: if it is clear he means to forfeit it → tevila; otherwise → without a berakha (seif 9). A Jew who pledges with a non-Jew and redeems it: no tevila at all, the vessel never ceased to be his (seif 11). Nor should this be confused with a sale followed by a repurchase, which does obligate.
❌ Pitfall 5 — Making the gift to a non-Jew a permanent solution: the expedient of seif 16 — giving the vessel to a non-Jew and then borrowing it back — is, according to the Taz, only a stopgap: for that Shabbat, or as long as one has no mikveh. Afterwards, the vessel remaining permanently with the Jew, it becomes לקוח again and requires tevila (ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ח). And if one transgressed and used the vessel without tevila, what was prepared in it is not forbidden — one immerses it afterwards (רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ז).
For halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav.
10. Recap of the 16 seifim — one line each
| Seif | Topic | The essentials |
|---|
| 1 | What requires tevila | One who buys from a non-Jew meal vessels of metal, or of glass, or vessels coated with lead on the inside — even though they are new, must immerse them in a mikveh or a spring of forty se'ah. Rama: י״א that lead-coated vessels, even on the inside, are immersed without a berakha, and such is the custom. |
| 2 | Holding the vessel — חציצה | The vessel must be loose in the hand at the moment of immersion; gripped, that is an interposition. If one wet one's hand with water beforehand, there is no concern. Rama: provided one wet one's hands in mikveh water, not in drawn water. |
| 3 | The wording of the berakha | One blesses על טבילת כלי; and if there are two or more, על טבילת כלים. |
| 4 | Trivets and grills | Trivets (טריפיד״ש) on which pots are set do not require immersion; grills (פדיליא״ש) do, because the food itself is placed on them. |
| 5 | Shechita knife, matza irons, covers | A shechita knife (and a skinning knife): יש מי שאומר that it needs no immersion. Rama: יש חולקין (תשב״ץ), and it is good to immerse it without a berakha; the irons used to prepare matzot need no immersion, nor does the cover laid over the bread to bake it — but a pot lid does require immersion. |
| 6 | Wood with iron hoops | A wooden vessel with iron hoops on the outside that hold it together does not require immersion. |
| 7 | Composite vessels | A silver cup joined to a wooden vessel requires immersion. Rama: so too a pepper mill with a fixed iron shaft inside the wood, and iron funnels and taps and those of other metals. But only where the essence of the vessel is metal; if its essence is wood with only a little iron fixed in it, and it can be used without the iron — nothing; and a vessel mounted on inner iron pegs, without which it could not be used — immersion. |
| 8 | Borrowing, renting, lending between Jews | One who borrows or rents a vessel from a non-Jew need not immerse it; but if a Jew bought it from the non-Jew and lent it to his fellow, it requires immersion, since the obligation already arose in the first one's hand. יש מי שאומר: if the first did not take it for meal use but to cut parchments and the like, it need not be immersed. Rama: yet the first may not use it for meal purposes, even occasionally, without immersion; and if a second Jew buys it from the first for meal use, the obligation falls on the second. |
| 9 | A non-Jew's pledge | A non-Jew who pledges a vessel with a Jew: if it is apparent that he means to leave it (לשקעו) in his hand, it requires immersion; if not, he immerses it without a berakha, or buys another vessel and immerses it together with it. Rama: and if in the end it is forfeited to him, he immerses it again without a berakha. |
| 10 | The craftsman | A Jew who gave silver to a non-Jewish craftsman to make him a vessel from it need not immerse it. Rama: יש חולקין, and one should immerse it without a berakha; and if part of the silver from which the vessel was made was the non-Jew's, it requires immersion. Likewise a Jewish craftsman who made a vessel for a non-Jew and bought it from him immerses it too without a berakha if the non-Jew supplied all the metal; but if he made it for himself and only bought the metal from the non-Jew, or supplied part of the metal himself, it needs no immersion. |
| 11 | Sale, reverse pledge, partnership, theft | A Jew who sold a vessel to a non-Jew and bought it back from him must immerse it; but if he had pledged it with him and redeemed it, he need not. Rama: a Jew and a non-Jew who bought a vessel in partnership — no immersion; a Jew whose vessels were stolen or robbed from him and returned — no immersion; but an officer or a ruler who coerced a Jew and took his vessels, and they were returned to him — they require immersion, since they had already been נשתקעו in the non-Jew's hand. |
| 12 | The handles | One must immerse the handles of the vessel (ידי הכלי). |
| 13 | Rust and חציצה | One must remove the rust before immersion; if one did not remove it: if one is particular about it, it interposes; if one scrubbed it and put it in coals and a little rust still remains which cannot be removed that way, it is a מיעוטו שאינו מקפיד and does not interpose. An explicit cross-reference to the laws of חציצה in Siman 202. |
| 14 | A minor's testimony | A minor is not believed about the immersion of vessels. Rama: but if he immersed them in front of an adult, the immersion counts (ת״ה סימן רנ״ז). |
| 15 | Immersion performed by a non-Jew | If one had the vessels immersed by a non-Jew, the immersion counts for them. Rama: but he is not believed that he performed it. |
| 16 | Forgotten before Shabbat | If one forgot and did not immerse a vessel before Shabbat or before Yom Tov, he gives it as a gift to a non-Jew and afterwards borrows it from him, and it is permitted to use it. Rama: one may do the same on a weekday too, in a place where one has no mikveh; and if one transgressed and used the vessel without immersion, what was prepared in it did not become forbidden — one immerses it afterwards. |
11. Final flash card
| Question | Reflex answer | Source |
|---|
| A brand-new steel pot bought from a non-Jew? | Tevila with a berakha, new though it is | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א |
| A glass bought from a non-Jew? | Tevila: glass is like metal | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק א |
| A lead-coated or enamelled vessel? | Tevila, but without a berakha according to the Rama | רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:א ; ש״ך יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק ב |
| A wooden vessel bound with iron hoops? | Nothing: we follow the עיקר, which is the wood | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ו |
| A shechita knife? | יש מי שאומר: nothing; the Rama: without a berakha | שו״ע ורמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:ה |
| A vessel borrowed or rented from a non-Jew? | No tevila at all: it is not לקוח | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ח |
| A vessel pledged with me by a non-Jew? | According to his intent: tevila, or tevila without a berakha | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט |
| A vessel bought jointly with a non-Jew? | Nothing, as long as his share remains | רמ״א יו״ד ק״כ:י״א |
| How much water, and how to hold it? | Forty se'ah, and the vessel loose in the hand | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:א-ב |
| Forgotten before Shabbat? | Gift to a non-Jew, then borrow it back — but only temporarily | שו״ע יו״ד ק״כ:ט״ז ; ט״ז יו״ד ק״כ ס״ק י״ח |
⚖ The reflex in 3 questions
- Material? Metal and glass → tevila with a berakha; lead-coated or enamelled → without a berakha; wood, stone, earthenware → nothing. In a composite, follow the עיקר.
- Use? A meal vessel → tevila; whatever serves at a stage when the food is not yet edible → nothing.
- Acquisition? Bought → tevila; borrowed, rented, in partnership, stolen and returned → nothing; pledge and craftsman → according to the intent and to who owns the metal, usually without a berakha.
For halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav.
🎓 Recap of the study path
| Level | Content | Acquired |
|---|
| 🌱 Level 1 — Base |
Text of the 16 seifim, translation, clear tables |
Overall understanding |
| ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan |
The reason for tevila, Torah law or rabbinic, the hakira about the עיקר of a composite vessel, the status of a משכון and the question of the אומן |
In-depth study |
| ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis |
Three master grids, golden rules, mnemonic, pitfalls, recap of the seifim |
Practical mastery + review |
| 📜 Level 4 — Halacha le-ma'aseh |
New tableware from the shop, electrical appliances, disposable vessels, immersing while travelling |
Contemporary application |
💡 Suggested next steps:
- Re-read Siman ק״כ in the original Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew) with the Shach and the Taz
- Study the neighbouring simanim: 121 (kashering vessels bought from a non-Jew), 122 (נותן טעם לפגם in vessels), and 201 and 202 (the mikveh and חציצה, to which the Shach refers)
- Delve into the machloket over whether tevilat kelim is Torah law or rabbinic, and its practical consequences in doubtful cases
- Discuss personal cases with a Rav (new tableware, appliances, travel) — halacha le-ma'aseh is decided with a Rav
📖 Sources of this siman on Sefaria:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
DAAT · הרב יוסף חיים סממה
תלמיד חכם · מעביר שיעורים בהלכה ובחסידות
סימן ק״כ · Level 3 — Synthesis / Review · דיני טבילת הכלים
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