Mikvah (also spelled mikveh or mikva) means a "collection of water."
The waters of the mikva have a direct source to natural rainwater,
unlike a regular home bathtub. A mikva is built according to very exact
Torah specifications. Immersion in a mikva is NOT for physical
cleanliness since one must be perfectly clean before entering the
mikva. It centers on two basic Jewish concepts, "tumah" and "tahara"
impure and pure). What all the states of "tumah" had in common was
some touch with death. Immersion in the mikveh renders someone or
something "ritually pure."
After an impure person dips in the mikvah, he rises up as a new creation;
purified and prepared to serve G-d. In ancient times, Jewish men used the
mikvah to remove impurities before entering the Temple, and some
Jewish men still use a mikvah to purify themselves before praying, writing
G-d's name in a Torah scroll and before certain holidays. Brides visit the
mikvah before their wedding and married women use it throughout their
fertile years. Mikvah is the last step taken when someone converts to
Judaism. Mikvah is also used for immersion of certain cooking utensils
before use.
Today in Israel, on the top of a high hill in Masada, stand the remains of
the oldest mikvah found. Masada, once a palace of the Roman King
Herod, later became a fortress, the last holdout by a small band of Jews
while the Romans were destroying the Temple. That was in 70 CE
(Common Era) and even in those desperate times, Jewish women were
using the mikvah. Today, mikvah is just as critical to the purity and
survival of the Jewish people.
The mikvah has the power to transform the every day world into the realm
of the holy and spiritual. The most important and general use of the
mikvah is by brides and married women. The Torah regards the physical
intimacy of husband and wife as a great spiritual expression.
For thousands of years, Jewish marriages and families have been
strengthened through the sanctity and holiness inherent in Taharas
Hamishpacha-the laws of family purity which require a woman to immerse
in the mikvah after her menstrual period and prior to resuming physical
intimacy with her husband. A special blessing is pronounced before
entering the mikvah, emphasizing its holy nature. Through the mitzva
of mikvah, the couple spiritually elevates their marriage. By fulfilling the
laws of mikvah, a marvelous domestic miracle occurs - the honeymoon
lasts throughout the marriage. The rhythm of observing the laws of
family purity enable a married couple to develop the greatest depths
of physical and emotional intimacy in the deepest bonds of unity.
The mitzvah of mikvah is an extremely private one. It's one of the three
mitzvahs specifically for women. It is a way for a woman to integrate her
spiritual nature with her physical being, to connect with Jewish women
around the world and throughout all time. Generations of Jewish women
have found that the mitzvah of mikvah brings them closer to G-d - the
Source of life, purity, and holiness. To learn more about mikvah,
contact your local Orthodox rabbi or rebbetzin. You can find one
Illuminate the world with spirituality.
