QUESTION: Am I permitted to have a non-Jew toivel keilim (immerse utensils in a mikvah) on my behalf?

ANSWER: Shulchan Aruch (YD 120:15) writes that if a non-Jew was toivel keilim, it is fine. However, one must supervise the process because otherwise, one would have no guarantee that the utensils were in fact toiveled properly. The Taz (120:17) infers from the wording of Shulchan Aruch that having a non-Jew toivel keilim on one’s behalf is considered bedieved (non-ideal). He explains that even if one supervises the process, one is still losing out on the beracha. He advises that one should also toivel some of the utensils themselves so that they do not lose out on reciting the blessing.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.