עברית
Halachot and Customs
How Do I Properly Immerse Utensils at Home?
Question
Hello, my question is how do I properly immerse the utensils at home? Until now, I have not really maintained the separation of utensils (meat and dairy) in my home. Can I perform the immersion of all the utensils at home (which I would prefer) or is that not possible? Also, can I immerse all the utensils together or must it be done one by one? What about new utensils produced abroad? I would appreciate it if you could respond to me as soon as possible because this is really important to me, and thank you very much in advance, you are doing a sacred task.
Answer
Hello and greetings,
Immersion of utensils produced by non-Jews is done in a mikvah (ritual bath), at sea, or in a river. It is not possible to immerse them at home. Utensils produced abroad are presumably made by non-Jews and therefore must be immersed. Utensils made in the land do not require immersion.
Utensils are immersed one by one, while small items like spoons and forks can be immersed together in a larger container. The process of kashering utensils, that absorbed the taste of prohibitive items due to lack of keeping kosher, can be done at home. The kashering is done as follows: Fill a large container, it is advisable to take a large can, fill it with water, and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling and bubbling [do not turn off the heat during the kashering], immerse the utensils that need kashering one by one into the container.
It is possible to kasher the utensil in halves, meaning kashering one half of the utensil and then the other side [for immersion, the entire utensil must be immersed at once]. Skewers and all metal items from the oven, etc., that absorbed the taste of forbidden foods through direct fire, cannot be kashered as mentioned, except by passing through actual fire. The process of libun (purification by fire) is done by passing the skewer through fire until it glows from the heat. If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer until the last detail, with G-d's help.
Good luck - Menashe Israel
