What is a Mikvah?

The word mikvah literally means “collection”. In the Torah’s discussion of the laws of ritual purity and impurity, it states, “Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern where there is a collection [mikvah] of water shall be pure” ( Vayikra 11:36). A mikvah is not a glorified bathtub, sauna or swimming pool. Cleanliness is required prior to the mitzvah of immersion, but a bath is only a preparatory step. A mikvah completes the process of spiritual transformation from the divinely-ordained state of tumah to taharah. The Rambam summarizes this issue: “Immersion is also a matter which must be accepted on faith... for ritual impurity is not mud or filth which washes off with water” (Hilchot Mikvaot 11:12). The divine commandment of immersion in a mikvah can be seen as a transition from a connection to death to the renewal of life. Beneath the mikvah’s waters, a woman rejuvenates herself and once again becomes a potential partner with God and her husband in the act of creation. She emerges from the life-giving waters “born anew” and ready to conceive anew.

Each and every month a woman renews herself by immersing in the mikvah and returns to her husband as dear to him as on the day of the wedding. Just as the moon renews itself each Rosh Chodesh, and all wait to see her, so a woman becomes renewed each month, and her husband awaits her and she is dear to him like a new wife. (Pirkei DeRabbi Elazar)

The laws concerning the erection of a kosher mikvah provide an insight into the spiritual nature of the mikvah’s waters. The pool in which we immerse ourselves is filled with fresh tap water. Connected to that pool is a cistern containing rain or well water; this water cannot have been contained within a movable vessel or carried by human hands. Thus, the water in which we immerse is connected to water that comes directly from a natural source. The connection to these natural waters alludes to a connection with the primeval waters of creation. The spiritual message of such an association is obvious. As our great sage Shammai said: “Great is the woman who observes the laws of niddah. They separate her from sin and bring her close to Gan Eden” (Niddah 81a). Immersion in the mikvah differs from all other mitzvot in one crucial way. All other mitzvot involve the usage of just one limb or some other part of the body: tefillin are placed on the arm and head; matzah is eaten, etc. By contrast, as a woman descends the steps of the mikvah and lowers her body into the water she is entirely “immersed” in the fulfillment of a mitzvah. This principle is reflected in the laws requiring us to avoid any kind of chatzitzah (intervening substance) that might prevent complete contact with the water. Nothing must stand between the woman and the water that enables her to change her status from tumah to taharah. As the Rambam states: “A woman cannot emerge from the state of impurity... until she immerses in the waters of a kosher mikvah without having anything intervening between her flesh and the water” ( Hilchot Issurei Biah 11:16). But a deeper point is indicated here. Immersion in the mikvah represents a bond with the source of all existence, God. A woman who immerses so that her entire body is covered by the waters of the mikvah is relating totally, with her entire being, to God. Similarly, from an emotional perspective, the woman must be totally submerged in the experience of mikvah. She must appreciate it as a holy process, granting her new sensitivity to spirituality. The sense of taharah, the anticipated reunion with her husband and, most importantly, the satisfaction of fulfilling God’s will, all combine to create an uplifting experience. With the proper attitude, a woman will find that she can immerse herself with true simchah shel mitzvah, the joy of fulfilling a mitzvah.

The Proper Time for Tevilah - Immersion in The Mikvah

Please note that the details of tevilah are complex, and a competent authority should be consulted if one has any questions about the appropriate time or preparations for immersion.