“Tevilah” (Immersion) Same Letters as “Bittul” (Nullification)
Purification from ritual impurity is achieved through immersion in a mikveh, as the verse states,1 “He shall wash himself in living waters and he will be pure.”2
In general, ritual purity and impurity are suprarational concepts, as Rambam writes:3 “Matters of ritual impurity and ritual purity are Divine decrees. They are not matters that are subject to human determination [but] are in the category of suprarational edicts.”
Rambam, however, concludes: “Nevertheless, what is alluded to here is that man should set his mind on going about purifying his soul from those matters that make it impure, these being evil thoughts and views. As soon as the person agrees to disengage from those paths and immerses his soul in the waters of knowledge, he becomes pure.”
Kabbalah and Chassidus expound on the theme that the Hebrew word for immersion, tevilah, is composed of the same letters as the Hebrew word habittul, the act of self-nullification. In other words, the physical act of immersing oneself in water signifies man’s self-nullification and obeisance to G‑d. Thus the Alter Rebbestates:4 “Through immersion in a mikveh, a person nullifies himself entirely.”
This is why “One must immerse his entire body in the mikveh. If even the tip of his small finger sticks out of the water, [his immersion is invalid] and he remains ritually impure.”5 The reason for this is that one’s nullification to G‑d must be total and absolute. Every part of him, even the smallest aspect, is to be wholly “immersed in the water”; entirely nullified to G‑d.
The same is true regarding the immersion of a niddah in a mikveh in order to become ritually pure.
The ritual impurity of a niddah stands in complete contrast to the theme of immersion in a mikveh, which is complete self-nullification to G‑d. For the impurity of niddah stems from a person’s exaggerating and glorifying his personal material needs above all else. He engages in his physical and corporeal life with an excess of passion and ardor (which is signified by the excess of blood — passion — of niddah), while his spiritual affairs — his mitzvos and good deeds — if performed at all, are implemented coldly and apathetically.
One purifies and frees himself from this spiritually impure state by completely negating and nullifying himself to G‑d, becoming wholly devoted to serving G‑d and fulfilling His Divine will. Moreover, he does so with absolute passion and devotion while his physical needs become entirely unimportant to him.
At the Beginning of Creation, The World Was Filled With Water
Kabbalah and Chassidus explain why immersing oneself specifically in water symbolizes man’s negation of self and nullification before G‑d. In other words, what special quality does water possess that it leads to spiritual purity?6
The Midrash explains7 that at the beginning of Creation, the entire world was surrounded by and filled with water, as the verse states,8 “And G‑d’s spirit hovered over the water.”
The days of Mashiach as well are portrayed by Rambam9 as a time of “water,” as he writes: “The world will be filled with G‑d’s knowledge, as water covers the sea.” Chassidus also explains that at that time “there shall be water in a manner similar to the beginning of Creation.”10
Many of the finest and loftiest matters on earth are likened to water.
Torah is likened to water, as our Sages say in the Gemara,11 “Torah is compared to water.”
Prayer and spiritual service as a whole, and synagogues as well, are likened to the waters of a mikveh.12
The traits of kindness and love are compared to water, for just as “water flows from above to below,” so, too, acts of kindness: the kind man “descends” to the poor person and showers him with kindness.
The highest soul power of all, the power of oneg, or delight, is likened to water, for as explained in Kabbalah and Chassidus, the source of the power of oneg is from the quality and aspect of water, “which causes all pleasant things to grow.”13
Moreover, the foundation and existence of the entire world is dependent on water, as water is the source and fount of all life.
Water Is Closely Related To Its Spiritual Source
The special quality inherent in water, and the reason water filled the earth at the beginning of Creation, lies in the fact that water always maintains a proximity to its source, to its Creator.
Whenever something descends from a higher to a lower plane, a natural change ensues: it now — after its descent — bears no comparison to the manner in which it existed prior to its descent.
Take, for example, a brilliant concept that originated in the mind of a tremendous genius. There is no comparison between the manner in which the genius understands the concept in his own mind and how the concept is understood by someone who heard it from him. The very act of transmission from the lofty mind and understanding of the concept’s originator to the mind and understanding of the listener engenders, to a certain extent, a change and descent of the intellectual matter.
Water is different. Water’s descent from above to below causes absolutely no change in the water itself. The same water that existed above is the very selfsame water that has descended below. If we were to take a cup of water from a mountain summit and compare it with a cup of water taken from the bottom of the mountain, we would discover that the water — in quality and mineral content, etc. — is exactly the same.
Regarding its spiritual source Above, this difference also exists between water and other things.
All created beings are infinitely distant from their spiritual source in the higher worlds, for the descent from the spiritual to the physical changes them entirely.
Although water, too, undergoes a profound change [in its descent from the spiritual] — for physical water does not exist in the higher worlds in any shape or form, water maintains its traits and remains closely relatedto water as it exists in a spiritual state.
[The reason for this is that in the spiritual worlds themselves, the source of water is truly lofty; the degree of taanug, supernal pleasure. Because of its very lofty source, it is able to descend into this world and still retain some of the qualities it possessed in the higher worlds.]
This finds expression in water’s many attributes: water cleanses and removes grime and stains, it is also transparent and free of color. There are other qualities as well, as shall soon be explained.
Thus, when the world was first created it was filled with water, for water possesses an innate relationship to the root and source of Creation.
Purification Results From Returning to the Source
In light of the above, we will understand why spiritual purification results specifically from immersing in water.
Spiritual purification, i.e., reversing one’s damaging and destructive actions and returning to one’s pure and holy source, is specifically accomplished by entering water, since it enjoys a close proximity to its spiritual source Above.
This is also why Torah is likened to water. As the Alter Rebbewrites:14 “Therefore has the Torah been compared to water, for just as water descends from a higher level to a lower level [without change], so has Torah descended from its place of glory, G‑d’s Will and wisdom ... journeying in a descent ... until it clothed itself in material matters and things of this world.” Here as well, Torah is verily “G‑d’s Will and wisdom,” and just as water does not undergo a change through its descent, so, too, “G‑d’s Will and wisdom” is the same here as above.
Drawn Water Invalidates a Mikveh
One of the laws of mikveh is that the water must enter the mikveh without human intervention (it must be rainwater, well water, and the like); however, water that is fetched in a vessel by man is not fit for a mikveh. Thus Rambam states:15 “Drawn water is unfit for immersion.”
The reason this is so has to do with the very nature of immersing oneself specifically in water, resulting as it does from water’s innate closeness to its source.
The mikveh water must therefore arrive “from heaven,” without human intervention, for this emphasizes that purification is attained by being connected to one’s spiritual source.
Unique and Superior Qualities of Water
We will understand accordingly a number of fundamental traits that water possesses, as explained by the Alter Rebbeand the Rebbe Rashab:16
a) “Water possesses no color of its own; instead, it takes on the color of its container. If the water is placed in a green, black or red glass, the water will appear to be of that color. The water itself, however, remains colorless.”
b) “The verse states,17 ‘As water mirrors the face....’ When a person gazes into the water he will immediately see his reflection in the water, for water is a clear and transparent substance, free of all colors. This is why the face is reflected in the water.”
c) “By nature, water cleans repulsive objects; it cleanses various forms of debris as it descends from place to place. A stained garment is cleansed by water and emerges spotless.”
The reason this is so is that “water’s source is truly lofty; the degree of supernal pleasure.”18 It retains its character during its downward descent “for which reason it is not clothed in a vessel or a particular color, just as supernal pleasure cannot be contained in a vessel and is not subject to contraction. For adding color limits the essence of a particular hue, causing it to appear only in a specific manner, while water is not subject to being clothed in the vessel of color. Water therefore also rejects and expels that which is evil and loathsome.”
Reishis Chochmah On Mikveh Immersion
In concluding this section on mikveh, we shall quote the words of one of the greatest kabbalists of the city of Tzfas, the Reishis Chochmah, with regard to immersion in a mikveh:19
“Purification in a mikveh greatly assists a person in his spiritual service and in connecting his soul to G‑d. When the person is ritually impure, the impurity dulls his heart. ... The main aspect and degree of loving and connecting to G‑d is dependent on the heart being pure and free from alien thoughts, as King David, of blessed memory, said:20 ‘G‑d created me with a pure heart.’ When the person is spiritually impure, his intention will surely become confused. ... Through immersion, the person succeeded in stripping away any vestige of the spirit of impurity ... and purified his body and soul: his body, in water; his soul, in the spirituality of the Divine name that resides in the mikveh.
“When a person enters the mikveh, he should do so with the intention that he is entering the supernal waters of the degree and rank of the World to Come. Through his immersion, he is divesting himself of the spirit of impurity, and his spirit and soul are being freed from all taint [of sin].
“Another reason for immersion in a mikveh is its similarityto returning a vessel to a kiln in order to purify it. When the vessel then leaves the kiln, it is like brand new. So, too, with regard to man. He enters the mikveh in order to return his tainted soul and limbs to the place where they originated. They are then concealed there as a fetus is concealed in its mother’s womb, where it is safe from prying eyes and protected from all injury.
“When the person exits the mikveh, his soul and limbs have been set right and corrected; he is like an entirely new person. The unholy forces then have no foothold. When leaving the mikveh, the person should feel as if a new spirit has entered into him from a spark of the soul that returned to him.
“In mystical terms, a mikveh is composed of forty seah of water. G‑d’s Divine name, composed of the four letters Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei, also contains the aspect of forty, as each of these four letters contains all ten aspects, [i.e., the ten supernal Sefiros that are found in each of the four spiritual worlds that correspond to these four letters].
“We derive from here a very important principle with regard to mikveh:
“Even if the water happens to be cold, it will not cause him any harm, for in cleaving to the four-letter Divine name, it is impossible for him to be harmed, as the Psalmist states:21 ‘I say of the L‑rd, Who is my refuge and my stronghold ... He will save you from the ensnaring trap.’ This refers to G‑d saving the person who immerses in a frigid mikveh from the ‘trap’ of catching a fever or a cold.
“Surely no damage will ever befall an individual who is scrupulous about immersing at the proper time, [even if the mikveh is cold, etc.,] for ‘He who observes a mitzvah shall know no evil.’”22
Purification of the Jewish People At the Time of Redemption
The period and state of exile is likened to niddah, as the verse states,23 “Jerusalem has sinned and is therefore like a niddah.”
Midrash Tanchuma states:24 “G‑d likens the spiritual impurity of the Jewish people to the ritual impurity of a niddah.Just as a niddah first becomes ritually impure and then becomes ritually pure, so too, those Jewish people who have become spiritually impure will, in the future, become spiritually pure.”
Furthermore, the Mishnah states:25 “Rabbi Akiva said, ‘Fortunate are you, people of Israel — before Whom do you purify yourselves and Who purifies you? Your Father in Heaven. As the verse says,26 “I shall pour purifying waters on you and you shall be pure,” and the verse also states,27 “G‑d is the ‘mikveh of the Jewish people.’” Just as a mikveh purifies those who are ritually impure, so does G‑d spiritually purify the Jewish people.”
The most complete and absolute state of purity will be realized during the time of Mashiach, concerning which the Prophet Zechariah prophesied:28 “I shall eradicatethe spirit of impurity from the earth.” May G‑d will it that we merit his arrival most speedily.
