What is a Mikvah?

A Mikvah is a ritual bath designed and maintained to precise and detailed Hallachic specifications in which Jewish married women and brides immerse in accordance with Jewish law and tradition. 

According to Jewish teachings water symbolizes life, purity and the abundance of Divine blessings. The waters of the mikvah contain 'Mayim Chayim,' or living waters, which are connected to an adjacent gathering of natural rainwater. The attractively designed immersion pool is filtered, purified and chlorinated to the highest standard.

As a woman immerses in these living waters she reconnects with her innermost spiritual core, and with her fellow Jewish women throughout the generations who have been immersing in a mikvah since the early Biblical times.

Immersing in the mikvah is typically done in observance of the traditional laws of Jewish family life, which guide and bring sanctity to the intimate relationship between husband and wife. Brides traditionally immerse in the mikvah in the lead up to their wedding day. Married women immerse monthly, based on their individual personal cycle. For thousands of years, Jewish marriages have been strengthened and refreshed through the sanctity and holiness inherent in this mitzvah.

The laws of mikvah are the structure that creates the holiness of a marital relationship. Judaism’s laws of family sanctity mandate that husband and wife refrain from intimate contact while the wife is menstruating, and for a period of seven days following. At the end of this time, she immerses in the mikvah and resumes intimate relations with her husband. Accordingly, a woman who has reached menopause need only immerse one time to achieve this level of holiness for the remainder of her married life.

For a fuller presentation on the observances of Mikvah please visit the online resources in our Mikvah Resources section.

Judaism holds the mitzvah of mikvah, and the importance of intimate relationships between husband and wife, in the highest regard. It believes that intimate relationships are sacred and essential to marital harmony, and that the mikvah is central to facilitating that special connection.

When a woman immerses in the mikvah, she brings herself in immediate contact with the source of life, purity, and holiness – indeed with G-d, the Giver of the Mitzvot. She also links herself to an ongoing tradition that has spanned generations, connecting with Jewish women around the world and throughout the history of Jewish peoplehood. During immersion, a woman connects to her innermost spiritual side in an authentic and deep level. It is an auspicious time for introspection and renewal, and a particularly auspicious opportunity for her to pray for her desires and the needs of her family.