Todays daf (Shabbos 14a) has a whole slew of gezeras relating to טומאה and טהרה. Among them is a gezera that anyone who takes a shower becomes a שני לטומאה and is מטמא תרומה. The reason being that the chachamim were afraid that people would think a shower is as good as the mikva. Although this gezera has no relevance nowadays, when the Beis Hamikdash is rebuilt and we have תרומה this will be very relevant, anyone taking a shower will need to go to the mikva.
The Mordechai applies the previous gezera in the gemara (if you take a shower after going to the mikva you are טמא) to hilchos nidda. The simple understanding of the gemara is that the chachamim made up a new טומאה and therefore it has no relevance to hilchos nidda. The Mordechai however learns that the pshat is that taking a shower cancels the tevila, and therefore a woman who goes to the mikva and then takes a shower is prohibited to her husband. We are machmir for this Mordechai לכתחילה. The poskim have different shiurim for how long she can't take a shower. One shiur given is until she is נוהג היתר with her husband, after that it is clear that the miva was matir and not the shower.
4 comments:
"The reason being that the chachamim were afraid that people would think a shower is as good as the mikva."
The irony is that some say that for טבילת עזרה a shower is good (well not as good, but at least could be used בדיעבד).
I thought of that as well, it isquite ironic.
We have to realize that there are different types of טומאה. Ezra was מתקן טבילת עזרה for טומאת קרי so that people would show restraint. A shower takes away that טומאה which is quite חמור, you aen't allowed to learn, and replaces it with a less severe טומאה.
Of course these are all dinim d'rabbanan. When the Beis Hamkidash is rebuilt and we have a Sanhedrin and מלאה הארץ דעה, the Sanhedrin may decide to be מבטל some or all of these gezeros.
one has to hope:) no shower sounds like a gezera the tzibur can't be omed in.
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