Eitz Hayim Kabbalah Centre

Ever since the days of the Bible, the use of a mikvah,or bath for spiritual purification, has been a widely practiced ritual amongst the Jewish people.  But in recent decadesits use has become restricted to Ultra-Orthodox men and Observant Orthodoxwomen and for the purposes of consecrating a convert as a Jew.  This has left those outside of these groupings being seen as ‘suspicious’ by their fellow Progressives when they admit to seeing the mikvah as a spiritual practise they can connect with.

The mikvah is a natural or constructed pool of water that conforms to very precise specifications in both its minimum size and the source andcharacteristics of its contents. When the Jerusalem Temple still stood, immersion in the waters of a mikvah conferred ritual purity onthose who had come into contact with the dead, allowing them reentry into theprecincts of the sanctuary. After the Temple was destroyed, the mikvah was used primarily by three groups of people:

(1) married women following menstruation, who could resume marital relations after immersion,

(2) proselytes as part of their ceremony of conversion,

(3) those seeking a measure of spiritual uplift, particularly before theSabbath or on the eve of festivals.

Although in the past the mikvah may have served occasionally as a bathhouse, its true significance was spiritual and ritual. After the loss of the First Temple, the Biblical prophet Ezekiel used the mikvah as a metaphor of restoration, spiritual and political. " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your fetishes." (Ezekiel 36:25). And almost two millennia later Maimonides wrote, "Spiritual purity and impurity are basedon Scriptural law and are not rationally understood categories. So too immersion after impurity. Impurity is not mud or filth that can be removed by water but is based on Scriptural law and depends entirely on human intention." (Yad, Mikvaot 11:12).

Some aspects of ritual mikvah immersion have retained theiri mportance amongst observant Jews to this day, but the spiritual implications of mikvah are being appreciated by growing numbers also.   Indeed it is seeing a huge resurgence in Conservative,Renewal and Reconstructionist communities. And this has seen women seeing the mikvah as an empowering experience(especially when women supervise their own mikvah experience and do not rely ona man to provide some legitimacy to their own judgements).  But men also are embracing this practise andthis adds a dimension to the mikvah that was not previously acknowledged by mainstream communities.

The practice of sexual abstinence during the period of menstruation and theuse of mikvah by women several days afterwards is widely observed amongst the Orthodox because the resumption of marital relations without immersion is a particularly serious offense to halacha(Jewish law).

Conservative and Progressive Judaism have largely ignored this practice inthe past, but recently has begun to re-evaluate its silence in this area and toconsider the spiritual implications of mikvah immersion for human sexuality and for women. As Rabbi Elliot Dorff has written, "...some couples have made [sexual abstinence duringmenstruation followed by ritual immersion leading to a resumption of sexualrelations] part of their sexual practice... some women find this to be one of the distinctly female rituals by which they can affirm their Judaism andreconnect with Jewish women through the ages... In general, these rationales, taken together, add a sense of ongoing holiness to the marital relationship."

Progressive and Conservative Judaism's outreach activities have, in recent decades, resulted in increasing numbers of people seeking to convert to Judaism. The Progressive and Conservative Jewish process of conversion requires candidates, after a significant period of study, to appear before a beit din, or rabbinic court, to explain their reasons for choosing Judaism and to committhemselves to live as Jews, observe the Commandments, and raise any childrenwith whom they may be blessed in the Jewish community and faith. Male candidates are required to undergo circumcision or, if already circumcised, to have a symbolic ceremony. All converts complete the rituals of conversion by immersing themselves in a mikvah.

Jews-by-choice tend to recall the mikvah ceremony as an experience of heightened spirituality, leaving a permanent mark on their religious awareness. Some comments I have received about the mikvah include: "It made me feel closer to God," "Rich and rewarding," "An emotional highlight of my life," "Excellent experience... It was inspiring," "When I came up from the waters all was quiet, my eyes wanted to cry. My soul was still... I am still in a state of peacefulness and love fills me." "An experience I shall never forget." "Probably the most moving event ever in my life." These observations,written by converts to Judaism several weeks after the event, reflect the powerful impact of the mikvah ritual on Jews-by-choice and the profound mportance they attach to its spiritual significance.

At a time when New Age enthusiasm is persuading numbers of people,disenchanted with traditional religious expression, to seek fresh ways ofdiscovering spiritual meaning in their lives, Progressive and Conservative Judaism have found in an age-old practice a metaphor for rebirth and renewalthat retains its power to uplift, cleanse and inspire.

Five Thoughts about Mikvah

1.     Immersion in the mikvah is an ancient ritual that still has Jewish legal validity.

2. The purpose of the mikvah is a spiritual one, not to bathe for physical cleanliness.

3. In the past, Progressive and Conservative Judaism have by and large ignored the ritual aspects of taharat hamishpacha (laws governing sexual abstinence between married couples after menstruation and the requirement for mikvah immersion before relations are resumed) but is now reconsidering its spiritual importance.

4. Conservative conversion requires study, a meeting with a rabbinic court, circumcision for males, and ritual immersion in a mikvah.

5. Converts tend to react positively to mikvah immersion, which they appreciate for its spiritual meaning.

I would strongly advise you visit  www.mayyimhayyim.org for more information about Progressive approaches to the Mikvah.  Who knows, you might just begin dipping yourself?