Is It Necessary to Immerse an Electric Hot Water Urn?

Greetings, 

There is a preliminary point that the obligation to immerse utensils applies primarily when the urn is manufactured by a company owned by non-Jews, and the halacha is as follows: 

1. According to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, it is preferable to be stringent and immerse the electric hot water urn. If one is concerned that immersing it in water may cause damage, it is recommended to give it as a gift to a non-Jew and then borrow it back from the non-Jew, since borrowing utensils from a non-Jew exempts one from immersion, as they were never acquired as one’s own (Halichot Olam, part 7, pages 965-966). However, this advice is not effective according to all opinions (see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 376:96 and Yoreh Deah 120:18), since this measure only applies temporarily, namely for that Shabbat or the weekdays while one has no access to a mikveh; but after Shabbat or when a mikveh is available, when the utensil will be permanently in the possession of an Israelite, it is definitely considered acquired and requires immersion. Since this is not explicitly expressed in the poskim, one should be careful to immerse another utensil with it due to concern of a possible doubt in the blessing. This is brought in Mishnah Berurah 376:30. 

2. Another suggestion is to give the urn to an electrician who will disassemble part of the utensil in such a way as to suspend the halachic status of the utensil, and only the electrician knows how to reassemble it. Afterwards, a Jewish electrician reassembles it, whereby it is considered as if made by a Jewish craftsman, exempt from immersion (this idea is based on Chochmat Adam 173:13, as brought in Petaḥ Teshuvah Yoreh Deah 120:61; similarly in Binat Adam Shaar Issur Veheter Teshuvah 66). This method is also mentioned in various responsa collections. It should be noted, however, that according to Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shteinman, this idea is not effective; his position is supported by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l. Furthermore, this method is effective only if the electrician disassembles and reassembles a part of the utensil itself, such as the heating element; parts external to the utensil, like the cord or plug, do not interrupt the halachic status and one remains obligated to immerse (Minchat Shlomo, Shulchan Aruch HaKatzar 4:150:10). 

3. However, in truth, as far as is known, there is no concern regarding immersion of the urn, since if one waits one or two days afterward for all internal parts to dry, no damage will occur (one can also dry the urn with a hairdryer or similar device). As written in Sefer HaKashrut (chapter 4, note 80), experience shows that usually the device does not suffer any damage, and hundreds of thousands of devices have been immersed and used without any harm. 

With blessings, Hillel Meirs