David Miller. Sepher Mikvah [”Instructions how to Construct a Private Mikvah at Home, Easily, Quickly and Cheaply.”]
AUCTION 60 |
Thursday, November 14th,
2013 at 1:00
Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Graphic Art and Ceremonial Objects
Lot 36
(AMERICAN JUDAICA).
David Miller. Sepher Mikvah [”Instructions how to Construct a Private Mikvah at Home, Easily, Quickly and Cheaply.”]
Oakland, California: circa 1924)
Est: $300 - $400
PRICE REALIZED $300
Ordained by R. Isaac Elchanan, the author also had an engineering background and believed that there was no halachic barrier to using city water to build a small mikvah in one’s own home. Indeed he received approval for his innovative plan from Rabbi Tzvi Shimon Albom of Chicago, along with three of the most important Rabbis of New York - R. Shalom Elchanan Jaffe, R. Gavriel Zev Margolis and R. Moshe Zevlun Margolis. However, Rabbi Miller’s point of view was not well received in other Orthodox circles and thus it was R. Nissan Telushkin (author of Taharas Mayim) who noted that the observance of mikvah would have been more widely heeded in the United States had other Rabbis been more supportive of Rabbi Miller’s campaign.