Rav Dovid Hoffman relates that in Communist Russia, the Communists were opposed to all forms of religion, especially Judaism, and they expended great effort to destroy Jewish religious life. They called for the death of the Jewish religion. One of their methods to do this was that they opened a network of kindergartens, schools, and youth clubs, where there was no mention of Jewish history or faith, and where the belief in Hashem was treated as ‘a superstition of backward people’, R”L.
Instead, they taught the Communist ideology and culture with great enthusiasm. As time went on, Yeshivos, Cheiders, and Mikvahs in Russia were forced to close, and teaching Torah became a crime against the State.
The Rav of one of the Russian communities, Luban, was Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, and due to his quiet and respectful manner, and his avoidance of public encounters with the Communists, remained in relatively good standing with the authorities and its supporters.
Although there was no doubt where Rav Moshe stood on the religious issues, the government could tolerate him, because he did not, at least publicly, talk against them or their harsh policies. In private, though, Rav Moshe continued to learn Gemara with the men of the town, and he gave Chizuk to the people to remain strong in their belief in Hashem, and their observance of every Mitzvah, regardless of the persecutions.
There was one particular incident that illustrated both Rav Moshe’s courage, and his effectiveness during those years, and he succeeded in having a Mikvah built, with the help of the Communists themselves. In Luban, the officials decided to demolish the old Mikvah building, giving the excuse that it was unhygienic. In its place, they planned to build a new bathhouse, which would be designated for mixed swimming.
Arranged to Have Ice or Snow Placed in the Empty Bath
There was nothing Rav Moshe could do to stop these plans. However, when it came time for the new construction, Rav Moshe was able to convince the non-Jewish contractor to build the pool in such a way that it would be a Kosher Mikvah. He then bribed him to arrange to have ice or snow placed in the empty bath. The pool was now filled for the first time with forty Se’ah of Kosher water for a Mikvah, because when there is no choice, one may place snow or ice in an empty Mikvah with Keilim.
With the construction completed, a different problem had to be solved. Men and women were expected to use the pool at the same time, and this is something that no Jew in Luban would ever dream of doing. Rav Moshe knew that unless this situation could be changed, the pool would be useless as a Mikvah.
Rav Moshe approached a high-ranking official, someone whose respect he had earned, and presented the dilemma to him in a tactful way. He said that the Jewish community very much wanted to enjoy the new sanitary swimming pool and bathhouse that was generously provided by the government, but they would not bathe in a mixed environment.
A Deeply Ingrained Sense of Modesty
Rav Moshe gave a convincing argument and said, “These new ways may be good for some people, but the Jews have always lived with a deeply ingrained sense of modesty, and we won’t bathe in a mixed bathhouse. This will be a danger to everyone, because not bathing is unhygienic, and it will bring about all sorts of disease. The best solution is to allow separate bathing at least once a week.”
The official understood the problem and he agreed to Rav Moshe’s proposal, and the Jews now had a Kosher Mikvah, which was the only one for miles around. Since most people didn’t have access to transportation in those days, there were men and women who would walk all the way to Luban, and in some cases, this was a journey of three days, just to use the precious Mikvah.
Although Rav Moshe had to rely on a number of leniencies for the new Mikvah to be Kosher, Rav Moshe allowed his Rebbitzen to make use of it, and this was vital for the Jews of Luban and the surrounding areas to see that even their esteemed Rav and Rebbitzen benefitted from the Mikvah, and this gave them confidence in the Kashrus of the Mikvah for themselves.
Many years later, Rav Moshe wrote about this in Igros Moshe (Orach Chaim I 126), “In our city Luban, it became possible, through Hashem’s kindness, to construct a Mikvah during the years of evil decrees, in a public bathhouse that was run by the government. And the authorities were unaware that it was in fact a Kosher Mikvah.”
Such was the love that Rav Moshe had for his fellow Yidden, that he went to all sorts of lengths to help others!
Reprinted from the Parshas Va’eira 5784 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
