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Following "did-the-bnei-israel-go-to-the-mikveh-in-the-desert":

Based on our Halacha, given its divine supernatural essence, would Be'er Miryam be Kosher as a Mikve, if its water would pour out to a pool?

Could, for example, Rashbi create a Kosher supernatural pool by uttering sacred names?


I seek to see Halachic discussions similar to "what blessing fo we recite on Manna?". Simply citing Rabbis speculating that as only the well's waters were available in the desert they served for Mikve purposes is not enough.

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  • See torahbase.org/… section ב. Discusses oil for menorah and wheat for menachos that were created by a neis if they're kosher
    – robev
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 20:59
  • "אך באמת תמה אני על קושיות מעין אלה, והלא הנס נעשה בשמן שבמנורת המאור, הרי שמן השמים נקבע ומפי הגבורה שידליקו בשמן זה ומה יש לדון אחר מדותיו של הקב"ה, אלא פשוט שאין כ"ז אלא בדרך דרוש, וכמ"ש דרוש וקבל שכר."
    – robev
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 21:01
  • @robev I don't understand, maybe only for those who say that the pan was refilled each day, but for all others the oil was all natural, it just burned for too long. But the well nobody claims it was natural.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 21:05
  • He's discussing the opinions that it refilled
    – robev
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 21:11
  • My personal theory is that the well originated from a normal spring in a particular place and flowed, either above ground or underground, until it got to the place where the Jews were. The miracle is that it moved with the Jews. Then in Chukas, at the end of 40 years, they finally found the source, thought "oh, that's where it was coming from this whole time!", and sang the shira. My motivation for this is it fits really nicely as a simple pshat in the story in Chukas. It's admittedly a chiddush, but if it's the case of course it was valid, because it was normal water.
    – Heshy
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 21:39

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Gemara Shabbos 35a:

אמר רב מעין המיטלטל טהור וזהו בארה של מרים

Rav said: A spring that is portable, i.e., that moves from place to place, is ritually pure and is regarded as an actual spring and not as drawn water. And what is a movable spring? It is Miriam’s well.

Rashi explains, that it could be used as a mikvah.

טהור - מלקבל טומאה וטובלין בו דלאו ככלי דמי להיות המים הנובעין ממנו כשאובין ואין לך מעין מיטלטל אלא בארה של מרים

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  • This does explain that the well is ritually pure (and I wouldn't expect anything different as אין רע יורד משמים), however what about its supernatural nature - was that water at all? It appears that the Gemmorah sees it as a natural phenomena that a spring flows on its own with no understanding of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle
    – Al Berko
    Commented Aug 27, 2019 at 6:21

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