Handwritten page from the Admor Tzemach Tzedek regarding Tikun HaMikveh by the Alter Rebbe
Handwritten leaf by the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, explaining the special custom instituted by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, author of Baal HaTanya regarding immersing in warm water at the mikveh.
Tikkun HaMikveh by the Alter Rebbe
The immersion of women in lakes, springs, and reservoirs during the cold winter months in Russia was a significant concern for the Rabbanim, as the women were apprehensive about immersing in freezing water. The Alter Rebbe, deeply committed to the purity of the daughters of Israel and the sanctity of the Jewish home, utilized his halachic authority to introduce a "great tikun" (as described by the Tzemach Tzedek in Shu"t, Siman 334). He devised a solution whereby a large vessel filled with warm water was placed into the cold water reservoir in such a way that it would be halachically valid according to all opinions and the vessel itself would not have the status of a utensil.
The Alter Rebbe took great joy and pride in this innovation, as it ensured that women could immerse properly and without apprehension (see Shu"t Tzemach Tzedek, Yoreh De’ah, Siman 176, Section 2). Furthermore, the Tzemach Tzedek also wrote (at the end of Siman 172) that "the Alter Rebbe, of blessed memory, was very particular about this matter and strongly emphasized the importance of creating a warm mikveh. This was both for reasons of physical health, given the frailty of the generations, as is well known, and for halachic reasons – since due to the intense cold, women might rush their immersion and be unable to adhere strictly to all the necessary requirements."
The Alter Rebbe explained his plan to construct a mikveh in a brief essay that he entitled “Dinei Tikunei HaMikveh VeAsiyasa”. This essay was printed in Shulchan Aruch HaRav Yoreh Deah at the end of Hilchos Niddah.
Since the above presents the Alter Rebbe’s plan only in brief, his grandson the Tzemach Tzedek authored a lengthy, comprehensive essay to clarify the former’s intentions which appears in his sefer ‘Shu”t Tzemach Tzedek’ Ch. 176. In this essay, the Tzemach Tzedek illuminates many halachic foundations of mikvaos, and poskim who deal extensively with these issues study and cite his words frequently. The present leaf is a part of the greater essay.
The
Admor Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1789-1866), the
Tzemach Tzedek, was the third Rebbe in the glorious Chabad dynasty. Orphaned of his father at the tender age of three, he was raised in the home of his holy grandfather, the Baal HaTanya and became his prime disciple. Following the passing of his father-in-law the Mitteler Rebbe in 1828, he became the third Admor in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty and led his flock with devotion for over 35 years.
The Tzemach Tzedek was one of the illustrious halachic authorities in his generation and a prolific author who inscribed thousands of teshuvos and Chassidic essays. In his works, he toils to relay and clarify the Torah of his grandfather, the Baal HaTanya, and disseminate his wisdom to the masses.
Page Count: [1] double-sided leaf. Page Size: 18×24 cm. 1 side is written across the entire page the other side has 7 written lines.
Condition: Water stains.
This essay was printed in ‘Shu”t Tzemach Tzedek’ Yoreh Deah Ch. 176 #2.
Bibliography: Levin, Shalom Dovber. Seder Tikkunei Mikvaos Lefi Takanas Rabboseinu Nesiei Chabad. Brooklyn, 2015.
