Modesty in a mikveh for men, and immersion with undergarments

Hello and welcome,

I will divide my response into five points and, simultaneously, I will also make a similar division in the sources of the subject, to facilitate the understanding of the subject as a whole.

1. When you write that you encountered the issue of immersion in the mikveh, your intention is certainly not just the dry (or rather, wet…) reality that there is a mikveh, but also the importance of immersion in the mikveh, and the virtues and influences that one can obtain through it.
2. And indeed, this does not mean that discipline has been abolished and that everyone can do whatever they want in the mikveh, but there is a law that determines the manner of conduct in this place as well, both with regard to the modesty of the human body itself, and the obligation of personal modesty and not to cause others to sin, and there is also the obligation to guard one’s gaze in the mikveh so as not to see nudity.

And if a person does not guard their gaze, but God forbid, on the contrary, contemplates to feed on immoral things, then when they come to a place of purity, they end up doing exactly the opposite, bringing upon themselves a spirit of impurity and promiscuity. [I have heard of many cases of people who fell into issues of holiness in the mikveh, especially among the “Chassidic sector,” where this is considered an obligation like prayer, and since they go to the mikveh simply out of mere habit, without internal thought and desire, then, once their inclination burns within them, they find a place to take refuge and consume what they cannot obtain elsewhere]. Therefore, it is clear that if a person has notable and consistent falls in the observance of holiness in the mikvé, they should avoid going to the mikve, and when there is doubt about doing or abstaining from a certain action, it is best to abstain.

1. Indeed, it is necessary for a person to uncover their body when immersing in the mikveh, but it is important to know that the common practice nowadays of people walking naked in the mikveh area is not something that was established as a law of Moses at Sinai, but rather a “trend” that has become common in recent generations. And when I was in Ashkelon for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, where I serve as a shaliach tsibur (prayer leader), I saw that there was a mikveh with separate changing rooms and showers, where each person enters the room alone and closes the door, just like in any normal place, without the need for a separate mikveh for each person, which would incur high costs. However, the mikveh pool is divided by partitions so that each person descends into a small pool where they can immerse privately, and I liked that. I checked and found in the books that it is written that abroad the custom of the Sephardim in North Africa was that they did not enter the bathhouse together, but each person would enter alone and close the door behind them, and after they left, the next person in line would enter. However, in Israel, they learned from the Ashkenazim and removed the veil of shame from their faces. [And I wrote about this to my friend and neighbor, the Minister of Religion, Rabbi Michael Malkieli, to allocate a budget for this, and thus many problems would be avoided. On the other hand, for people who avoid going to the mikveh out of shame and similar reasons, this would help them start going and purifying themselves. But so far, nothing has been done about it.

In fact, most of the time, those who are accustomed to immersion also become used to not getting involved in unnecessary looks, and over time this becomes natural for them. Perhaps you, who were surprised by this situation, naturally feel curious and preoccupied with looks and thoughts about it, but if you commit to avoiding this, over time you will no longer have this difficulty. In any case, the proper conduct is not to exert pressure, and the main thing is that the person is focused on what they need to do in this place, thinking about how to sanctify and purify themselves. By the way, in addition to the purification of the soul, he must pay attention to properly cleaning his body as well, and care should be taken to bathe before immersing, so as not to disgust others by immersing his sweaty body in the mikve, and so on.

1. In any case, in the mikves located in our region, where the changing room is shared by all men, as well as the showers and the immersion pool, he can undress and dress modestly, with a towel wrapped around him, thus covering the modest parts of his body. He can also walk with the towel and hang it next to the immersion pool or the showers, and from the shower to the mikve and vice versa. When the towel is not on him, he can walk with his hand covering his nudity, especially if there is also shampoo, as it provides more effective coverage. And, in fact, one must be careful not to touch their nudity, and, in general, it should not be done in an obvious manner, but as if, without intention, the hand were positioned against their nudity and hiding it.
2. Regarding your main question, it is clear in the poskim (decisors) that there is no need to worry about hatsitsa (separation of contact between the mikveh water and the body) for men’s immersion (as long as there is no hatsitsa on most of the body); therefore, if it is more convenient for you to keep your underwear on, you are authorized to immerse with it.

It is important to add that there is an easier option to perform Ezra’s immersion without entering into all the discussions mentioned here, and this is according to what our master, the director of the kollel, Rabbi Eliyahu Bahbut, answered here, stating that it is possible to perform Ezra’s immersion in a pool. Therefore, the options are open to you, as anywhere there is a pool, you can perform this act. However, see there (in the response of our master, Rav Bahbut) the details of the laws that must be observed when performing the immersion in the pool.

And may Hashem pour upon you a spirit of holiness and purity.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Elyahu Bracha

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