uses similar terms such as "born anew‖, "new creation‖, and "born from above". The Rabbis teach that at the
moment of immersion, you are as close as you can ever be to YHWH here on earth.
Mikveh (Baptism) is a very holy and special act a person can perform, bringing themselves closer to YHWH
and in infilling of the Holy Spirit. Read Peter‘s advice to those Jews asking what they should do concerning
YHWH and Y‘shua when Peter was preaching after being filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Acts 2:38-
39: ―Peter answered them, ―Turn from sin, return to God, and each of you be immersed on the
Authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit!‖ For the promise is for you, for your children, and for those far away- as many as the Lord our
God may call‖ (CJB).
Paul also gives a very strong teaching on the Mikveh in Acts 19:1- 8 ―While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul
traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers. "Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No‖, they replied, "we don't know what you
mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit‖. ―Then what baptism did you experience?" he
asked. And they replied, ―The baptism of John‖. Paul said, ―John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire
to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said
would come later‖. As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other
tongues and prophesied‖.
Peter and Paul‘s teachings concerning Y‘shua hold true today! The promise is for you, your children, and all
those YHWH may call! Are you in a rut or a spiritual famine? Are you not filled with the Holy Spirit? Have you
not felt YHWH‘s presence in a long time? Rededicate yourself to YHWH through the blood of Y‘shua,
confessing your sins to Him and perform a Mikveh (Baptism); and be re-birthed spiritually fresh and anew in
the Kingdom of YHWH! Be re-born and become filled with the Holy Spirit!
Because of this, Biblical mikveh is not something for infants but for believers who are mature enough to have
repented of past sins and who desire to walk in the newness of life given them by the power of their risen
Messiah.
According to Y‘shua's instructions, all new believers are to be mikvehed. Therefore, the believer who dis-
covers that he or she has not been properly mikvehed (immersed) should take appropriate steps to rectify
this.
The Talmud, Mishnah tells us that the High Priest immersed himself five times and washed his hands and
feet ten times during the sacrifices and ministering of the office on Yom Kippur (Moed, Yoma 3 Mishneh 3).
The question has been regarding "effusion" or the pouring of water over the initiate. There are references to
this in the Torah (Exod 29:7, Lev 14:18 and in the writings of the Kings—2 Kings 9:3, etc.) Although these
references are using oil instead of water, it shows the purpose of demonstrating the anointing of YHWH on
the one who is undergoing the ceremony. It is assumed this could be extended to ceremonial cleansing;
although I know of no such custom in Judaism, either currently or historically.
An interesting reference is found in Acts 8:27-39. The Ethiopian eunuch was Jewish. He was returning from
Jerusalem after a Holy Day (v. 27). Notice that Phillip did not say, "You must be baptised‖. It was the
eunuch's idea. It also says they went into the water and came up out of the water.
We can draw certain conclusions from this experience because this is a Jewish rite. First, as said previously,
it is normal to undergo ritual immersion in mikveh (a large body of living water) after learning something that
changes one's life. Secondly, they both went into the water and came up out of the water. Thirdly, In Jewish
immersion, the one being immersed is not assisted in the rite, but immerses him or her self in water (see 2
Kings 5:10-14). The other participant is for witness only to make sure that all the hair and body parts go
completely under. Immersion is traditionally done in the nude when a secluded place is available. The
witness is of the same gender as the initiate. If a secluded place is not available, a sheet is normally used to
block the view of others (not the witnesses) who might look on as was the case for the High Priest at Yom
Kippur services (Yoma 3 Mishnah 4).
The objection has been made that if an initiate immerses him or herself, it does not properly represent the
death, burial and resurrection of the believer. I say that it is a more exact representation of this nature,
because unlike the natural death where someone is buried, we volunteer ourselves to this death and bury
ourselves willingly. The change that takes place is a choice. We are also picturing Y‘shua's death, burial and