Shabbat Gathering: What's a mikva?

Dear Chevra, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom  
Meeting ID: 963 5113 1550  
Password: 1989  
Phone: +1 312 626 6799  

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Here we go.

The mikva is our Jewish ritual bath that dates back to the days of our priests serving in our Temple. Then, the priests were instructed to take a ritual bath before entering the Temple and performing their duties. Now that we don’t have a Temple, the emphasis of the mikva has changed so let’s take a quick look at what it's all about.

I think most of us have a general idea of what mikva is today:

• It’s a ritual bath.
• There are special rules about how the bath is taken.
• The bath is most commonly taken when a woman completes her period or before her wedding.
• The bath is also commonly done as part of a conversion service for men and women.

But just like everything else regarding our faith, there’s a lot more to it beneath the surface.

My dunks.

I’ve been to mikva twice:

First, when I converted. Second, one fall in Berkeley, Calif. in advance of the High Holy Days.

The first time I went to mikva, for my conversion, was well documented in this story published in The Forward. I went to the mikva at Beth Jacob in Oakland, Calif. I didn’t have any problems with the mikva part of the experience, but other parts of the conversion ritual did not go according to plan. Nevertheless, I made it through.

The second time, one of the synagogues where I was affiliated in California, Chochmat HaLev (Renewal, Berkeley) held a group mikva service at one of the many lakes in the area in advance of the High Holy Days. The purpose was to give us the opportunity to help purify ourselves for Yom Kippur. It was very early in the morning, and as it is in Berkeley in the fall, rather crisp (for California). I brought a towel and wore a swimsuit under my clothes even though I was mentally prepared to attend group mikva naked. (Did I mention I was in Berkeley?)

We dunked (with our swimsuits on), prayed, and listened to the shofar. It was such a meaningful experience for me that I wanted to repeat it at CSS but could never gather enthusiasm for it. (Perhaps that's a Wisconsin thing.)

Now, I want to go to mikva again. I’ve moved to Arkansas to take care of my mother and want to consecrate the move into a new chapter of my life by going to mikva. Fortunately, I live next to a lake so I can avail myself for the third time in a natural mikva as soon as I'm able to get some more support to help take care of Mom while I dunk.

Mikva: The specs.

According to Chabad (your mileage may vary) a mikva must be built into the ground and contain a minimum of 200 gallons of water that is collected from rainwater. Most pools are chest high and kept at a comfortable temperature. When I went, in the same room as the mikva was a shower and personal care supplies to make myself as clean as possible before immersion: nail files and clippers, swabs, tweezers, mirrors, combs, brushes, nail polish remover, etc. That was my experience in the one and only “official” mikva I’ve been to and it was liking being in a very nice spa.

And she didn't drown.

A dear friend of mine at CSS told me her story of going to mikva at Beth Israel for her conversion. She doesn’t swim well and, when it came time to dunk herself and pull her feet off the floor of the mikva so she could be completely covered in water, she had a sensation that she might drown. Many things crossed her mind in an instant including whether or not she would be able to complete her conversion. She did complete it. And she didn't drown.

There aren't as many rules for men attending mikva although some do so in advance of Shabbat or following a nocturnal emission. I’m completely unencumbered by any facts regarding this, but I think that attending the mikva is the harbinger to Jewish men having their Friday afternoon schvitz at the baths.

Prayer for Immersion.

The basic prayer for immersion is simple:

Blessed are You, Sovereign our G‑d, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Their commandments, and commanded us concerning the immersion.

RitualWell has slightly more elaborate prayers:

For the first dunk:

Blessed are you, Eternal God, ruler of the universe, who sanctifies us through mitzvot and has enjoined us concerning immersion.

For the second dunk:

Blessed is the Eternal, the God of all creation, who has blessed me with life, sustained me, and enabled me to reach this moment.

The third blessing changes as per the occasion. For conversion, it's the Sh'ma:

Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our G-d, the Eternal is One.

In addition to these prayers on Ritual Well is included a ceremony specifically for Yom Kippur.

Doing the dishes.

In addition to purifying the heart and soul of people, the mikva can also be used to help kosher dishes! According to Chabad,

Immersion in a mikvah is required only for utensils that were manufactured or ever owned by a non-Jew. Even those that were previously used without having been immersed still require immersion, after thorough cleaning, and koshering if necessary.

As with most things regarding Chabad, the rules are extensive.

A life-changing experience.

Attending mikva was a life changing experience for me in many ways: It sealed my conversion and it also created memories for me that will last the rest of my life. If you ever have the chance or want to create the opportunity for yourself, I highly recommend it.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Gut Shabbes!
All my love,
brian.

PS

Here's another klezmer artist I follow on Bandcamp, Zoe Aqua, who has a new album out. You might enjoy it.