Tevillat
Tevillat Kelim is defined in English as the ‘Immersion of
Vessels/Utensil’.
The Gemara (Avodah Zara, 75B) says, " Tevilah is a process that
purifies and uplifts the utensil."
The Majority of Poskim attribute the source for Tevilat kelim as
M'Doraysa. They
quote the pasuk in Bamidbar (31:23), Everything that may come into
fire, you
shall pass through the fire and they shall be clean, except it must
be cleansed
with the water of separation.
These vessels captured from Midian need an additional purification,
after Libun
or Hagalah. They need Tevila, to be immersed in a Kosher mikvah.
Rashi explains
on the words, "Ach Bimaih Nidah Yotchatah", that the Torah made
immersion a
necessity especially for metal vessels. Elazar tells Bnei Israel,
The vessels need
purging to purify them of that which is forbidden, and sprinkling (Tevilah)
to
purify them of impurity (from contact with non-Jews). The Rabbi’s
interpret
mai Nidah as waters which are fit for a woman who is a Nidah, which
is 40 Se’ah.
Rashi gets the fact that the depth of the water needs to be 40 Se’ah
and that
it has to be Mei Nidah, water that a Nidah can go into as well, from
the
Gemara (Avodah Zara 75B).
Vessels and utensils that have been previously owned or manufactured
by
non-Jews and will be used for eating require Tevila. Both metal and
glassware
are not destroyed by fire, and therefore are included in the mitzvah
D'oraysa
to be toiveled. R’ Ashi (Gemara Avodah Zara 75 B) says that
glassware has
the same Takanot as metal and therefore requires toiveling. The
Shulchan
Orach agrees with this psak(Yorah Dayah, 120, 1).
When a part of a Kli needs Tevilah , and the rest of the Kli
doesn’t, one
should immerse the entire Kli . If a vessel is made out of wood and
has a
metal handle, it only needs to be toiveled of the metal part comes
in
contact with food (Shulchan Orech, Yorah Dayah, 120:6). If one sells
a
Kli to a non-Jew and he takes it back, then he is required to Toivel
it.