Hello, How can I kasher hot water urn for passover. The one that I am using g all year round. And another question, my plata and hot water urn were not dipped in the mikva, since they are electric, does it have to be toiveled or can be used without it? Can I toivel it even after I have been using it already. Thank you, Shulamit

Shalom, Thank you for your questions. A hot water urn that was used only for hot water, and no chametz was used in contact with it, may be koshered by 1)cleaning it well 2) filling it with water and bring it to boil 3) opening the tap and letting the boiling water flow out. After this, one empties the urn completely and it is now kosher for Pessach. If however chametz was heated up on it, then one needs to do hagalah on it, and boil up the lid also. In connection with tovelling – one’s plata certainly does not need to go into the mikvah, as it’s major use is not to put food directly on it, rather one puts dishes and pots on it. Even if occasionally one place food directly on the plata, when it comes to tovelling we follow the major use. The electric urn is a matter of debate. There are Rabbis to rely upon who hold that an electric appliance such as an urn does not need tovelling. Those who rule it does need a mikvah, can avoid this situation by either getting a Jew to rewire it, or change the plug (thus creating a situation where a Jew “made” the urn, and exempting it from the need to be tovelled); or by giving it as a gift to a non-Jew, and then asking for permission to borrow it (long term). Some people say that it can be dipped and then left to dry for a few days with no ill effects (- I take no responsibility for this!). In my humble opinion one may rely on the lenient view, and use an electric urn without tovelling it. In general, an item that needs tovelling, (such as a knife for example), must be tovelled before use. If it wasn’t, then 1) the foods it was used for as still kosher (using non tovelled utensils does not effect the kashrut of the foods they touch), 2) it should be tovelled before any further use (the obligation to tovell a vessel remains the same even after using it). Blessings.