Bor Al Gabei Bor Mikveh: Hiddur or Minhag? 

 

Question:

Is the Chabad custom of women going to a bor al gabei bor mikveh a hiddur or a minhag or something else? Where I live right now, the mikveh is called bor geshomim.

I would prefer bor al gabei bor since that is what I learned in kallah classes. what should I do in the case where mikveh would be on Shabbos or Yom Tov? There are possibly other mikvaos around but I’m not sure if they are within safe walking distance or if those are not al gabei bor either.

 

Answer:

Chabad Chassidim are very particular about using a bor al gabei bor mikveh wherever possible as it touches upon the very kashrus of the Mikvah. Please see more about this here.

You write that your local Mikvah is called a “bor geshomim”. Please note that “bor geshomim” means that the Mikvah is a rainwater one. It does not necessarily define the type of boros, if it’s side by side or bor al gabei bor. It could very well be that in your case the actual pool for immersion is itself comprised of pure rainwater (in addition to the rainwater bor which connects to the immersion pool). If this is the case, then this would be much better than a standard bor al gabei bor mikvah.

As explained in the link above, it is a well-accepted rule that one should strive to go to a Mikveh which is more Mehudar, bor al gabei bor, or one where the actual pool for immersion is itself comprised of pure rainwater, whenever possible practically. Otherwise, other mikvaos qualify too, even if they are bor btzad bor (side by side).

It goes without saying that this only applies where there is proper hashgachah of a reliable rov. If a mikvah has no such supervision, one shouldn’t use it regardless if it is bor al gabei bor or not. And certainly, a bor btzad bor (side by side) mikvah with supervision trumps any type of mikvah which is without supervision.

 

 

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