Mikvah - Everything You Need To Know

As with all walks of life: we can do things that are:
Wrong.

When we do things that are wrong, we become impure.
When we become impure:

We create an invisible circle of impurity around us.

This will give you the base understanding of the power that the Mikvah has in Jewish History…

What is a Jewish Mikvah Bath?

Building on from the introduction, when we walk around with a circle of impurity around us, we are making it harder for ourselves to be heard, spiritually.

The Mikvah (Mikveh) is a place of spiritual purification.

A woman cannot purify herself by simply bathing in a bathtub or swimming pool.

According to the Torah, a woman is only purified in a “Purification Mikvah“.

What Does Mikvah Mean?

We have used the spelling as Mikvah in this article. Mikvah is written in Hebrew as מִקְוֶה.

While we use the spelling Mikvah, it can also be said as Mikveh.

Mikvah means “a ritual bath”.

Mikvah Purification Process

There is a very strict process involved in order for the Mikvah to be kosher.

The Purification Mikvah must contain water that is transported by special means.

The water from a Mikvah can be from the following sources:

Mikvah Size Requirements

The Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) says that the number 40 represents spiritual renewal.

This is why a Mikvah requires 40 “Se’ah” (Se’ah is a Talmudic measurement) which equates to around 750 litres or 198 gallons of water.

Mikvah in The Torah

When a woman bathes in a Mikvah that contains 40 Se’ah, she is blessed directly from the Creator who bestows upon her and her family:

This is why the Commandment is called “Family Purity” because it is within it’s power to protect the entire family.

When a woman makes her way to the Mikvah, she is escorted by a legion of merciful Angels. And million souls of Angels and Seraphim (type of Angel).

These Angels descend from above especially to escort her back.

And the woman receives great and awesome powers.

On the day of the Mikvah, when the woman bathes and directs her act to the sake of Heaven and thinks about G-d

The 7 Heavens are split and into the water descend souls of righteous Fathers and Forefathers.
In the water a woman receives powers like that of a great Kabbalist (Jewish Mysticist).

And these powers are with her 24 hours from the moment of immersion.

And it is within her power to bless people and bring about wondrous things with her Prayers.

All of the preparations that she makes the day before and her giving in to her husband and trying with all her strength to maintain harmony within the home.

All these come forth and are present before the woman at the moment of immersion and open for her the highest Gates of the Garden of Eden that are only in the power of a righteous woman to open.

In the merit of righteous woman was the Jewish Nation redeemed and will in the future, be redeemed.

The Mitzvah of Family Purity is one of the wonderful Mitzvahs that we received from The Creator.

Where is The Oldest Mikvah?

Pool of Siloam – Jerusalem, Israel

It is said that the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem is where Jesus used the waters of the Mikvah to help a blind man regain his eye sight.

Up until 2004, it was believed that the Pool of Siloam was actually situated in a different location.

The water source comes from a tunnel that was dug 700 years BEFORE Jesus used the Pool of Siloam.

The water stream still exists today and you can walk in the tunnels where the water flows from … it truly is incredible to experience.

Arizal Mikvah – Tzfat, Israel

The Arizal Mikvah in Tzfat is an example of a Mikvah from a Live Well Spring.

Jews from all over the world go to this Holy Mikvah and immerse in the purified water.

Nobody knows where the water source is coming from.

It is so pure that people fill up their bottles of water, drink it and say: they have never tasted such sweet water!

This may not be the oldest Mikvah, but it is hundreds of years old and we highly recommend you experience it’s Holiness!

The water from these two Mikvehs are from Live Well Springs which as mentioned earlier is: The Highest Purity of a Mikvah.

Is The Mikvah Cold?

Yes. The Mikvah from Live Well Springs are ice cold. However, many people share stories that once they enter the Mikvah, the sensation is not normal.

You are going into freezing, ice cold water, however after 45 seconds, the water feels warm as though you are in a jacuzzi.

Are Mikvahs Clean?

Yes. The water in a Mikvah is crystal clear. As explained earlier, the reason for the Mikvah is spiritual purification. For this to be achieved, there is a strict process to ensure the water is pure.

Do Men Use The Mikvah?

Yes! Men also use the Mikvah.

Men typically use the Mikvah before Shabbat, Jewish Holidays, Weddings and making big life decisions (Proposals/Job Offers etc)

However, some men use the Mikvah every morning.

Why use The Mikvah before Praying every morning?

The reason for using it every morning is that Jewish Men want to make sure they have cleansed themselves before they begin to Pray that day.

As explained by Rabbi Alon Anava, if a Man looks at a woman inappropriately, then he is carrying around that impurity until he cleanses it off.

Can a Mikvah Be Portable?

A Mikvah cannot be portable due to the process in making the Mikvah kosher.

However, you can use a:

All of these can be used as Mikvahs as explained above.

What is a Mikvah Night?

The Mikvah Night happens every month when the Jewish woman finishes her cycle and has been to the Mikvah to immerse her body and cleanse off any impurity before coming back into contact with her husband.

There is a debate over whether or not the married couple are obligated to be together on the Mikvah night.

The obligation involved is on the man.

However,

The obligation implies that if the woman wants to be with the man on the night of the Mikvah, then he must be there for her.

There is no obligation for the woman to be with the man on the Mikvah night if she does not want to.

The man must respect his wife’s decision as to whether or not she wants to be with him on Mikvah night.

Keilim Mikvah

A Keilim Mikvah is a Mikvah to purify utensils.
The vessels that we use in order to prepare and eat food need to be spiritually uplifted.

Before the utensils enter the Keilim Mikvah, it is important to make sure there are no stickers or dirt present. It needs to be completely clean.

The process of putting the utensils into the Mikvah is known as “Toveling“.

It is important that when putting the utensils into the Mikvah that it is all done in one go.

What is a Mikvah Calender?

A Mikvah Calender calculates the times of when the Jewish woman should go to the Mikvah based on her cycle and the Jewish calender.

The Mikvah For Converting to Judaism

When converting to Judaism, it is required for the convert to immerse themselves in a Mikvah to spiritually cleanse themselves before they become a Jew.

There you have it.

The Mikvah is very important to cleanse yourself spiritually.

We highly recommend you experience the truly special feeling of immersing yourself in one.

Thanks for reading. Till next time!

🙏🙏🙏

Since you've made it this far, sharing this article on your favorite social media network would be highly appreciated 💖! For feedback, please ping me on Twitter.