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I've heard this before many times that food that was left under ones bed that now has on it "ruach rah" can be "purified" by tovelling the food in the mikveh (perhaps someone can help with a source with this.)

Assuming this method is true, would it be permissible to do on Shabbos?

(The problem perhaps being that you are "fixing" the food through this process of making it "tahar" from the ruach rah with the mikveh.)

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    If such a method exists, it isn't working through regular Tahara in a Mikva. Of all food and drink, only water can ever become Tahor once it becomes Tamei.
    – Double AA
    Oct 27, 2013 at 20:32
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    Out of curiosity, do you have a source that one can purify food that has a Ruach Ra? Oct 27, 2013 at 20:57
  • @ShmuelBrin This type of "purification" I've heard from a Rov in the past, however I need to get his source.
    – Yehoshua
    Oct 27, 2013 at 20:59
  • Isn't it just washing it regularly not in a mikvah?
    – sam
    Oct 27, 2013 at 23:33
  • Like the Mishna Brurah writes about one who touchs food before washing in the morning.
    – sam
    Oct 27, 2013 at 23:34

1 Answer 1

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The food does not need to be purified. Although there are minority opinions that say one should dispose of the food, the general consensus is that one may eat it.

See http://doseofhalacha.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/food-under-beds.html

R’ Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer 1: YD 9) writes that as the Vilna Gaon and many others were stringent, if one did inadvertently place food under a bed, one should dispose of it. If the food was expensive, however, one may rely on the more lenient authorities. There are other factors, however, which would make the food permissible, including if the food was raw, if it was a child’s bed, or a carpeted / tiled floor (Yabia Omer 1: YD 10; Tzitz Eliezer 10:35).

Most people follow other Poskim (Aruch Hashulchan YD 116:11; Pischei Teshuvah YD 116:4) who take a more lenient approach, and allow such food to be consumed.

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