What Is a Mikveh?

The mikveh is one of the most important parts of a Jewish community. However, its true purpose is not widely known. While it’s been shown for the process of Jewish conversion in pop culture, the mikveh actually exists for a number of different reasons, and its essence is truly spiritual and holy.

Learn about what the mikvah is, its many uses, and how it helps Jews connect to their spirituality.

What is a mivkeh?

A mikveh, derived from the Hebrew word for “collection,” is a pool of natural water that Jewish women immerse themselves in for various purification purposes.

For example, before the Jews received the Torah on Mt. Sinai, they were commanded to go into the mikveh. And during the times of the First and Second Temple in Jerusalem, anyone who wanted to go into the Temple first had to dip in the mikveh to attain a state of spiritual purification.

Ancient mikveh in the Golan Heights, Israel

A mikveh is typically located indoors; however, a natural body of water outside, like an ocean or a lake, can also be used as a mikveh. Throughout history, in places where it was not possible to build a mikveh, Jews would go to a body of water instead to perform Jewish rituals. But it is not ideal to do this, as some waters may be dangerous or too public. It’s a requirement to be unclothed in the mikveh, so it’s much more comfortable for women and men to go to a private indoor mikvah.

A mikveh usually is built into the ground inside of a building. Pools and jacuzzies are not valid mikvehs, but like these things, mikvehs have water-purification and filtration systems to keep them clean. They are also typically room temperature or warm, though some older mikvehs, like those located in Israel, might be cold.

The spiritual meaning of the mikveh

The mikveh has a deep spiritual meaning. According to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, author of “Waters Of Eden,” all the natural water in the world originated from the four rivers that were found in the Garden of Eden. Sources of natural water, like rivers, oceans, lakes, are physical ways to connect us to God, our spiritual source. When Adam and Eve sinned, they became impure, and when we are impure, we go to the mikveh or a natural source of water to become pure again. The waters can remove the negative influences from our body. We go from a lesser spiritual state to a higher one. We go in without any makeup on or anything on our body because we want to be in our purest state. We have nothing to hide our true selves – and our true souls. Like babies, which are in water in the womb, we are also in water, in this spiritual womb.

There are a number of different uses for the mikveh and ways we can transform ourselves and the objects we own.

For ritual purity for women and men

Women primarily use the mikveh to immerse after niddah, when they are on their menstrual cycles and count 7 days following the end of the cycle. The laws regarding niddah are part of “family purity,” which Jewish couples follow after getting married.

Before getting into the mikveh, the woman must check that she is no longer in a “niddah” state and then thoroughly clean herself by taking a shower, getting the dirt out from under her fingernails, brushing her teeth, etc. Then, she can immerse in a mikveh.

The mikvah is not used to clean – only to purify – which is why one must clean themselves before entering. Since going to the mikveh is such a powerful experience, when women immerse, they will often say prayers for those in need, such as a couple that is having trouble conceiving or a sick person who needs healing.

Men also need to clean themselves before using the mikveh. There is no rule that men need to go to the mikveh, however, some go before Shabbat or the Jewish holidays, or as often as they want.

A mikveh in the ruins of the Masada fortress.

The person going into the mikveh must immerse at least three times, but some customs call for four or seven times. This simply involves saying a blessing, dunking in the water, and making sure that you are fully immersed. For example, if your hand is sticking up out of the water, you will have to do it again. The entire process takes just a few minutes usually.

For Jewish conversion

Men and women who convert to Judaism are required to go to the mikveh for an immersion before their process is officially complete. After taking a test before their beit din (Jewish court of law typically made up of one Orthodox rabbi and two Shabbat observant adult men) and deciding on their Hebrew name, then they go into the mikveh. After dipping in the mikvah, they are officially Jewish.

For a Jewish wedding

Pre-wedding rituals are compared to Yom Kippur, a time of being reborn. That’s why Jewish couples fast and the woman – sometimes also the man – will go to the mikveh prior to the wedding. For the woman, going to the mikveh is a preview of what’s to come when upholding the laws of family purity. She is expected to learn about the laws of family purity through a kallah teacher, a bridal teacher, before her wedding.

For making dishes kosher

A different type of mikveh is called the kelim mikvah, and it’s used for dipping dishes to make them kosher before you use them in your kitchen. This is not the same mikvah where people immerse themselves in the water.

Utensils that don’t require dipping are made of wood or plastic, while metal and glass require dipping with a blessing and china and earthenware items require a dipping without a blessing.

The mikveh is a powerful spiritual force, and it has nothing to do with cleanliness. Instead, we can use it to connect to our spirituality in a simple – but mighty – way.