Interesting Psak: what to do with utensils when no mikva is open

One of this year's big issues is how to immerse new dishes in a mikva. With so many people making Pesach and the seder for the first time, in addition to all the people who just need to buy new things each year, many utensils need to be toiveled, but with the mikvas closed due to CoronaVirus that has become impossible.

I have already mentioned a number of solutions suggested by various rabbis, such as sellign the utensils to a gentile, or making the utensils hefker in front of 3 men (ad hoc beis din), or even the solution of not toiveling at all because it is not possible (but they would need to be toiveled when the mikvas are reopened).

Rav Benzion Kook, a posek in Jerusalem, has paskened that in an extreme situation such as the one we are currently in one can make the utensils hefker in front of 3 men and not relatives, and therefore best it be done with neighbors via adjacent porches and balconies so as not to get close to each other, and then use the hefker utensils without reacquiring them. After Pesach whenever the mikva reopens, the utensil will need to be toiveled.

We have already said this solution, so it is not really that exciting. What is interesting is that Rav Kook added that if it is difficult to get three unrelated men, one could make the vessels hefker in front of 3 family members, and even in front of 3 women.

According to Rav Kook, making them hefker is better than selling them to a gentile.

Rav Kook explains that he is basing his psak on what he heard form both Rav Elyashiv and Rav Auerbach
source: Kikar

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