immersion was not begun by Christians but was taken by them from Jewish and pagan forms" – Dr. Merrill
Tenney, editor of the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible).
The Mikveh was used to satisfy the biblical laws that required a person to be cleansed by water. The actual
immersion ceremony was called "T‘vilah" (to totally immerse). One of the requirements for a Gentile
proselyte to Judaism was the T‘vilah ceremony, signifying a "born again" experience. The T‘vilah immersion
ceremony played a very important part in the spiritual life of the Jewish people.
Two deeper, underlying themes are evident on the spiritual meaning of the T‘vilah - Immersion Ceremony; the
spiritual significance from a Jewish perspective, and the importance of water immersion to Y‘shua and His
Jewish followers. The water is not washing away any filth. Rather, the Mikveh is changing the individual‘s
status from that of "Tomeh" (unclean) to that of "Tahor" (clean), Seen in this light, we see that the Mikveh
represents the womb. When an individual enters the Mikveh, he is re-entering the womb, and when he
emerges, he is as if born anew. Thus he attains a completely new status... The womb is a place that is
completely divorced from all concepts of "Tumah" and uncleanness. Thus, when an individual enters the
Mikveh, he leaves all uncleanness and Tumah behind, and emerges a new, purified person.
It marks the beginning of the ascent to an elevated religious state. This function of mikveh goes beyond the
basic purpose of purification. Anthropologists refer to this threshold of higher social status as "liminality‖. The
person at this moment of transition is a "liminal" or "threshold" person. The liminal state is common to
virtually all persons and societies, ancient and modern; and it marks a move to an altered status or to a life
transition. Entering adulthood from adolescence, for example, requires a tunnel of time, a rite of passage; a
liminal state that acknowledges by symbolic acts the stark changes taking place in one's self-identity,
behaviour and attitude.
In a sense, it is nothing short of the spiritual drama of death and rebirth cast onto the canvas of the convert's
soul. Submerging into waters over one‘s head, one enters into an environment, in which he cannot breathe
and cannot live for more than moments. It is the death of all that has gone before. As one emerges from the
gagging waters into the clear air, he begins to breathe anew and live anew—as a baby struggling to be born.
If we take this graphic metaphor a step further, we can sense that the mikveh is a spiritual womb. The human
fetus is surrounded by water. It does not yet live. The water breaks in a split second and the child emerges
into a new world. The Jews say: "As soon as the convert immerses and emerges, he is a Jew in every
respect" (Yevamot 47b).
This to me is the essence of the T‘vilah (Immersion) Ceremony. To voluntarily, with a humble and contrite
spirit, immerse yourself in a body of water, is to die to your old self. ―Don‘t you know that those of us who
have been immersed into the Messiah Y‘shua have been immersed into his death?" (Rom 6:3) Through
being immersed, we connect with Y‘shua‘s death and burial, the sacrifice of YHWH‘s only Son and claiming
that sacrifice for forgiveness of sin. ―So that just as through the glory of the Father, the Messiah was raised
from the dead, likewise we too might live a new life‖. (Rom 6:4) Our coming out of the water is a
manifestation that we share in the resurrection of the Messiah and can make the claim to being born again to
a new life in him!
As we rediscover and participate in this ancient biblical ceremony, it is completely clear that our Redeemer
Y‘shua fulfills the promises of the T‘vilah ceremony. It is both deliverance and also recognition of how much
we owe to YHWH our Father and Y‘shua the Messiah as we are born again to a new life through him. This
also prefigures what delivers us now, which is not the removal of dirt from the body; but one‘s pledge to keep
a good conscience toward YHWH through the resurrection of Y‘shua the Messiah.
The origin of T‟vilah?T‘vilah is the Biblical act of totally immersing oneself in a natural water source. In ancient times a stream or
river was used, but in modern times a specially constructed pool called a mikveh is normally used. In
Judaism today, the terms are used somewhat interchangeably; with mikveh emerging as the more familiar
term. As believers in Messiah Y‘shua, the term baptism plays a significant part in our walk with our Messiah.
How can the t‘vilah and mikveh of Judaism become important concepts in our lives today? Let‘s examine the
origins of the t‘vilah and mikveh and discover the rich symbolism that is available to us as believers.
Water baptism (immersion) was not originally a Christian act. All through the TaNaCH (Old Covenant), the
children of Isra‘el, whenever they would have to come before YHWH, would cleanse themselves. The priests
had to cleanse themselves, and what they went through was the mikveh, or a cleansing. A woman went