I've seen men who are toivel daily or on Erev Shabbos for "tosefes kedusha" have different minhagim for how often they toivel. Some people make sure to fully dip 3 times and some have some other number patterns they follow (seven, forty etc). What are the different reasons for these numbers? Is there an agreed basic obligation?
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You should dip once, as the Rambam says in הלכות מקואות - פרק ראשון that somebody who dips more than once is behaving inappropriately.
The Kesef Mishne explains the reason: It looks like he's bathing or cooling down (or warming up or exercising, depending on your type of Mikve. My addition.) instead of purifying himself. As a result, people will think that Mikve - and touching items that require one to be purified - do not require concentration.
ט: הַכּוֹפֵת יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו וְיָשַׁב לוֹ בְּאַמַּת הַמַּיִם אִם נִכְנְסוּ מַיִם דֶּרֶךְ כֻּלּוֹ טָהוֹר. הַקּוֹפֵץ לְתוֹךְ הַמִּקְוֶה הֲרֵי זֶה מְגֻנֶּה. וְהַטּוֹבֵל פַּעֲמַיִם בַּמִּקְוֶה הֲרֵי זֶה מְגֻנֶּה. וְהָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ כְּבשׁ יָדְךָ עָלַי בַּמִּקְוֶה הֲרֵי זֶה מְגֻנֶּה:
כסף משנה הכופת ידיו ורגליו וכו'. תוספתא דמקואות רפ''ח. ונראה דהיינו לומר דהיכא דלא טבל כדרך גדילתו בודקין אותו ואם נכנסו המים בכל המקומות שהיה נכנס אילו טבל כדרך גדילתו עלתה לו טבילה ואם לאו לא עלתה לו טבילה: הקופץ לתוך המקוה וכו'. שם ספ''ה. וכתב הריב''ש בתשובה שרבינו מפרש מפני שהקופץ למקוה אף אם מתכוין לטבול הרואים סבורים שאינו מתכוין אלא להקר וכן הטובל פעמיים כיון שטבל כראוי למה חוזר וטובל יחשבו שאינו טובל אלא להקר ואם יגע בתרומה וקדשים יהיו סבורים דלא בעי כוונה עכ''ל.
So we see that even for Trumah and Kodshim - which require absolute purification in a Mikve - dipping once is all that is required.
Anybody who dips more than once will need to explain himself.
Danny Schoemann
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1+1 nice to see you active again lately. But I think it's obvious the question is coming from a kabalistic, not halachik, viewpoint. But this is a source to be reckoned with. – user6591 Jan 25 '17 at 14:05
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1The emphasis of the Rambam with this chapter is like he states in the first halacha. It relates to removing the state of tumah. As he brings in the halacha you quote, in regard to tumah, a single immersion is all that is required. The procedures outlined by the Ari z"l, the Ba'al Shem Tov and many others concerning multiple immersions are not dealing with tumah. They are in relation to kedusha which is a different category. – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 15:05
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רבי פנחס בן יאיר אומר, זריזות מביא לידי נקיות, ונקיות לידי טהרה, וטהרה לידי פרישות, ופרישות לידי קדושה, וקדושה לידי ענוה, וענוה לידי יראת חטא, ויראת חטא לידי רוח הקודש, ורוח הקודש לידי תחית המתים, ותחית המתים באה על ידי אליהו הנביא ז"ל – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 15:24
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Quotation above is from Sotah 49b. http://www.hebrewbooks.org/shas.aspx?mesechta=18&daf=49b&format=text – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 15:55
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2@YaacovDeane - the Mesilat Yesharim based his book on that saying - yet never mentions multiple dippings in the Mikve. (Actually going to the Mikve is mentioned 3 times by him - and never as a stepping stone to climb the ladder you mention.) – Danny Schoemann Jan 25 '17 at 16:04
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2@YaacovDeane The Rambam is talking about what people will think when they see you. No one knows what your intentions are in a Mikva, so clearly the Rambam's concern applies always, independent of your intentions. – Double AA Jan 25 '17 at 17:05
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@DoubleAA You're wrong about that, meaning that it "applies always." That idea ignores the Rambam's own introduction emphasizing the extreme precision of his words in Mishnah Torah. Although, if you really want to stretch it, you could look at the Shulchan HaTahor cited in the answer below which precedes the discussion on immersion with the concept of בהצניע לכת. In other words, immerse privately without an audience. – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 17:36
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@YaacovDeane Ok, so according to the Rambam it always applies if anyone else is in the room, if you want to assume no Lo Plug is made. Nothing about the extreme precision of the Rambam is being ignored here. – Double AA Jan 25 '17 at 17:37
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Rabbi Isaac Yehuda Yechiel of Komarno suggests the following intention: he writes in his Shulchan HaTahor pg.172 in ha'arah 16 brings from the The Pri Eitz Chaim(Shaar Shabbas 84 and Shaar Hakavanos pg.73) the intention for the initial immersion is that water has the ability to extinguish. We should ask God that He allow the waters of the mikvah to extinguish the burning desires to do bad, the fire of the wrong passions. The water should dowse the flame of anger, of hatred.
By the second immersion, we should have in mind to accept fully the sweetness of Shabbos, the holiness of Shabbos, which the rebbe explains is the "mystery of the fire of God".
The first dip cleanses us, and removes the dross that we naturally pick up in the duration of the six days of the week. The second one purifies us, to enable us to be able to accept the Shabbos to the fullest extent...
This is talking about Erev Shabbas,however, regarding Shabbas morning he writes that one dip is sufficent.
Ha'arah 16:
See also Nitei Gavriel, hilchos Shabbos vol. 1, 35:9 and accompanying footnotes. (Again, can't find that particular volume on HebrewBooks)
Shmuel Brown
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I edited in the place I beileve you were refering to. I did not change what you wrote above ,but in the ha'arah he doesnt write exactly what you wrote but its a very similar idea,maybe the Pri Eitz Chaim goes more in depth like what you wrote.If you are not happy with changes ,please edit acc – sam Jan 25 '17 at 15:09
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@sam It looks good; I'm glad you were able to find the source - I thought it was from the smaller Shulchan HaTahara not the actual Shulchan HaTahor . Although I'm not sure who to thank for providing the screenshot. – Shmuel Brown Jan 25 '17 at 19:47
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1@ShmuelBrown If you read what is in note 16 from Shulchan HaTahor, it says that on erev Shabbat the two immersions serve two functions. 1st immersion is to remove the aspect of Chol, like removing tumah. 2nd immersion is to acquire the kedusha of Shabbat. The single immersion on Shabbat morning is to acquire the higher level of kedusha of the day. And it emphasizes, not to remove the kedusha acquired from the tevilah of the night. In other words, with kedusha if it ascends, there is more than one immersion. And that is what is behind multiple immersions at one time. Ascent in kedusha. – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 20:31
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@YaacovDeane thanks for your clarifying remarks! R' Chaim Vital doesn't directly address the resultant requirement of tevilah (i.e. how many immersions) if one becomes keri or after tashmish; in such a case would he require more than one dip? I'm a little unclear as to what would be in that situation. – Shmuel Brown Jan 25 '17 at 20:43
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@ShmuelBrown According to the note, the removal of the tumah from keri or tashmish would require a separate immersion. – Yaacov Deane Jan 25 '17 at 20:49
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@YaacovDeane I might be misunderstanding the note; it seems he's asserting that the halachic requirement would be in effect for tevilah after keri or tashmish on Shabbos. Then he continues that even if one is completely tahor and wished to toivel he could and would only imeerse once in order not to remove the kedusha of Friday night/leil Shabbos . My follow up: one who regularly toivels on Shabbos morning - if one is also a keri etc. would he need two separate immersions? I'm not sure if I'm missing something or mistakenly inferring anything but it's not clear to me. – Shmuel Brown Jan 25 '17 at 21:46
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@ShmuelBrown If you look to the words of the main text, 260:7, it states that the Ari z'l says the Shabbat morning immersion is obligatory. That means not optional. He goes on to say we should forgive someone who transgresses the Ari's command from being called a sinner. He explains that the reason why one might think they should call someone who transgresses the command of the Ari should be called a sinner. This is because the Ari heard this command not via angels, but from G-d directly. That means it has the status of prophecy and one is forbidden to transgress the words of a prophet. – Yaacov Deane Jan 26 '17 at 01:29
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Concerning the observation that the tumah from keri or sexual relations requires immersion before prayer, he does make that distinction. He is not saying Shabbat morning immersion prior to prayer is optional when one is tahor. He says the 2nd immersion on erev Shabbat is to draw the sanctity of Shabbat night upon oneself. The single immersion of Shabbat morning prior to prayer which is commanded by the Ari is to draw the higher level of sanctity of Shabbat day upon oneself. It does not remove the sanctity of Shabbat night. In context, if one is tameh, it would appear 2 immersions are required. – Yaacov Deane Jan 26 '17 at 01:42
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The first to remove the tumah and the second to draw the higher level of sanctity from Shabbat day upon oneself. – Yaacov Deane Jan 26 '17 at 01:44
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As mentioned above in Dannys answer, the Rambam says to dip once and more is a problem. However, recent acharonim recommend different amounts. Though I don't have a source on hand, I once saw a letter from R' Chaim Kanievsky (about 10 years ago) that says that one should go to the mikva every day, dip twice and when going on Fridays, he should dip 3 times. Once in honor of Shabbos. Its also written in the Sefer Haminhagim of Spinka, that the second Spinka Rebbe (Chakal Yitzchok) would say that dipping less than three times doesn't accomplish any Tosefes Kedusha.
Mennyg
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40? That doesn't even sound practical.
– Micha Berger Jan 25 '17 at 02:42