The importance of maintaining a state of taharah

Min haTorah, a ba’al keri (one who is tamei due to a seminal discharge) may daven, study Torah and say Kriyas Shema. According to a takanah of Ezra, however, a ba’al keri may not do these things until he immerses in a mikvah. Due to the difficulties involved in maintaining such a standard, this takanah was classified as an edict which most people cannot keep and was therefore abolished. Nonetheless, the poskim stress that one who can be stringent should certainly do so. They explain the importance of maintaining this state of purity and the tremendous segulos that one can attain by following Takanas Ezra. Some of the segulos mentioned include remembering one’s learning, having one’s writings and seforim become accepted in Klal Yisroel, and the acceptance of one’s tefilos.

סעיף א וס"ק ג-ד; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 1

Is a shower effective for purification?

A kosher mikvah must contain forty seah of water which was not shuvin (drawn). For purification from keri, however, one may even immerse in a mikvah of shuvin. When it is difficult to immerse, there is another method of purification known as tishah kabin. This means that one may arrange for tishah kabin of water to be poured over his body as a means of purification. Tishah kabin ranges from 3.3 gallons to 5.7 gallons of water, according to various opinions. This amount of water can be split between three different utensils if they are poured one after the other. When the water is poured, the person should stand upright with his hands placed lightly on his chest. Contemporary poskim debate whether a shower counts as tishah kabin. Some say that it does not; since the showerhead divides the stream, this view considers it to be more than three utensils. 

ס"ק ד' ביראורים ומוספים דרשו 11

When should one forgo Tevilas Ezra?

If one is not always careful about Tevilas Ezra, the poskim disagree about whether he may immerse during the Nine Days. They also disagree about whether one may immerse on Shabbos and Yom Tov. The custom is to be lenient. If immersing will cause a person to miss zman Kriyas Shema or tefilah, he should forgo the tevilah. The poskim say that it is also not recommended to miss tefilah b’tzibur for tevilah. Some say that if one is always careful, he should not forgo the tevilah.

ס"ק ב' ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 2,4

• The Rishonim disagree about whether a davar shebekedusha can be recited in front of a graf which is flipped upside down. Shulchon Aruch rules stringently, since the issue of a graf is its absorbent nature, which poses a problem regardless of whether it is upside down or right side up.

• Contemporary poskim discuss the status of a catheter made from rubber or plastic, examining whether it should be treated as a graf or whether it is not absorbent enough to be treated as a graf.

• If a utensil becomes non-kosher, it can be kashered through hagalah (using hot water to expunge the forbidden flavors). Hagalah works on utensils made from wood, stone, and metal. It is not effective on utensils made from clay, glazed clay, or porcelain. 

• Are there restrictions regarding who may enter a shul?

• May a pregnant woman visit a cemetery?

• How should one prepare for tevilah on erev Yom Kippur?