the ritual of conversion. It is important to note that the purpose of the mikveh is solely ritual purification, not
physical cleanliness; in fact, immersion in the mikveh is not valid unless the woman thoroughly bathes before
immersion. The mikveh is such an important part of traditional Jewish ritual life that a new community will
build a mikveh before they build a synagogue.
The Torah does not specify the reason for the laws of niddah, but this period of abstention has both physical
and psychological benefits.
Why immerse three times from a traditional Jewish point of view?
Why, when one is immersing (performing ritual baptism), is it customary to go under three times? It is taught
that immersion is a picture of birth (or rebirth), as it symbolises the re-entry into the womb and re-entry into
life. It is also taught that immersion is a picture of death and resurrection. It symbolises entering into the
grave and then being resurrected from the grave. Upon reflecting upon these representations, I realised that
they must be the reason for two of the dunkings—but what about the third?
The ideas of birth and resurrection are connected in this passage:
Deut 6:4-9:
- Hear, O Israel: YHWH our Elohim, YHWH is one!
- You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
- And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
- You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. - You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
- You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This is, of course, the Shema (Deut 6:4-9 morning and evening prayer/statement), the hallmark of Judaism
faith. The phrase rendered ―when you sit in your house‖ is referring to being in the womb. The phrase ―when
you lie down, and when you rise up‖ is referring to death and resurrection. This leaves the phrase ―when you
walk by the way‖. This is speaking of your daily life. Together, these phrases teach us that a child should be
brought into the world with the words of Torah, should walk in Torah his/her entire life, and should expect to
experience the Torah in Its fullness in the World to Come.
The first dunk of the immersion represents birth (or rebirth), ―when you sit in your house‖. The last dunk
represents death and resurrection, ―when you lie down, and when you rise up‖. This leaves the middle dunk,
―when you walk by the way‖. This dunk is our daily life. It represents a life immersed in Torah. When the
Orthodox Jew completely immerses himself three times, he has declared ―YHWH is echad‖ or ―YHWH is
one‖. They recognise that YHWH is responsible for (and in control of) EVERYTHING in their lives, from
before their birth to their resurrection! The traditional Hebraic immersion and the Shema go hand in hand.
For the Messianic Jew and non-Jew, immersion should also be done three times: once in the name of
YHWH the Father, once in the name of Y‘shua HaMashiach, and once in the name of the Holy Spirit.
What is a Mikveh, Halakhically?
The mikveh must comply with a number of precise halakhic (Jewish legal) qualifications. The mikveh must be
built into the ground or the structure of the building. It must hold a minimum of 757 liters of water. The depth
must be such as to enable an average adult to stand upright and have the water reach at least 28
centimeters above the waist, so that immersion can be performed without back-breaking contortions.
The water must originally have been transported to the mikveh in a manner resembling the natural flow of
waters. The general practice is to build cement channels at the sides of the mikveh roof, which will enable
rainwater to flow directly into the mikveh. Done right the first time with the required initial amount of water,
other piped waters may be added later in whatever quantities and at any time, and the mikveh will still retain
its religious validity.
The waters must be stationary and not flow (not even the flow caused by a filter) while the mikveh is in use.
The water, by all means, should be chlorinated to assure its meeting the highest standards of hygienic
cleanliness. (While the chlorinated water may be somewhat discolored, it does have to retain natural water
colour.)