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CHAGIGAH 19

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SUMMARY

When a person washes his hands prior to eating bread of Chulin, his act is valid even if he washes without intent.
 
If a wave that contains 40 Se'ah of water breaks away from the sea and falls on a person or utensil, it counts as a valid immersion.
 
It is forbidden to immerse in the middle of a wave that is still in the air, because an immersion in the air is not a valid immersion.
 
If fruit falls into a stream and becomes wet, the fruit does not become susceptible to Tum'ah. (1)
 
One who immerses himself with intent to become Tahor to eat Chulin and not Ma'aser Sheni, the immersion is valid only for eating Chulin and not for eating Ma'aser Sheni.
 
One who immerses himself without any specific intent in mind may then have a specific intent even after the immersion was completed, as long as he is still wet. (2)
 
Rebbi Yehudah: If one had a specific intent in mind at the time of the immersion, he may change his intent to something more stringent, as long as he still has his foot in the water. Chachamim: He may not change his intent.
 
If a Mikvah contains exactly 40 Se'ah of water and two people immerse themselves in it one after the other, the immersion is valid only for the first person.
 
Rebbi Yehudah and the Chachamim disagree in the case of two people who immerse themselves in the Mikvah, one after the other, and the foot of the person who immersed himself first is still in the water at the time of the immersion of the second person. (3)
 
According to Rebbi Yehudah, if a person still has his foot in the water, and small utensils were placed on his head, it is not a valid immersion for those utensils.
 
Rebbi Meir and Rebbi Yehudah disagree in a case of three cavities in a stream, where the two outer cavities contain 20 Se'ah and the middle one contains 40 Se'ah, and a current and a surge of rain passes through them. (4)
 
The Mishnah is in accordance with the view of Rebbi Meir when it states that the clothing of Perushim is regarded as Tum'as Midras for people who eat Terumah. (5)

A BIT MORE

1. If the person who extends his hands into the stream to retrieve the fruit has in mind to wash his hands, the fruit becomes susceptible to Tum'ah.
 
2. If the person has a specific intention in mind at the time of the immersion, he may not change his intention once he completes the immersion.
 
3. Rebbi Yehudah: The immersion of the second person is valid even if the Mikvah contains exactly 40 Se'ah. Chachamim: The immersion of the second person is invalid. According to the first version of Rav Nachman, however, the second person's immersion is valid according to Rebbi Yehudah only when the obligation to immerse is mid'Rabanan. According to the second version of Rav Nachman, even the Chachamim agree that the second immersion is valid when the obligation to immerse is mid'Rabanan.
 
4. Rebbi Meir: One may immerse even in the upper cavity. Rebbi Yehudah: Immersion is valid only in the lower cavity [and the middle one].
 
5. According to the Chachamim, there is a disparity between Chulin and Ma'aser Sheni, and thus had the Mishnah been following their view, it would have said that the clothing of the Perushim is regarded as Tum'as Midras for people who eat Ma'aser.

BRIEF INSIGHT

The Mishnah says that if a wave that contains 40 Se'ah of water breaks away from the sea and falls on a person or utensil, it is a valid immersion. The reason it is a valid immersion is that the sea has the status of a spring that purifies while it is flowing. Rainwater, in contrast, purifies only when it is stationary. Why, then, does the Mishnah say that the wave must contain 40 Se'ah? A spring purifies even if it contains less than 40 Se'ah! The answer is that 40 Se'ah is the amount of water that suffices for the immersion of a person regardless of how large he happens to be. Therefore, the Tana states 40 Se'ah, because sometimes even a spring requires 40 Se'ah if a very large person immerses in it. However, if a person is completely immersed in the wave it would be a valid immersion even if it contains less than 40 Se'ah. (Taz)

QUICK HALACHAH

If a Mikvah contains exactly 40 Se'ah, one should not jump into the Mikvah because that may cause some of the water to splash out. One should not immerse in the Mikvah twice, one time after the other. If two people immerse themselves in the Mikvah, even if the feet of the first person are still in the water [at the time of the immersion of the second person], the second immersion is not valid because the Mikvah no longer contains 40 Se'ah. (Shulchan Aruch YD 201:62)
 
A person should not immerse in the Mikvah twice in a row, because he may not be vigilant with the first immersion, relying on the second immersion, which may no longer be valid since the Mikvah may no longer contain 40 Se'ah. (Taz)

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