Tevila

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Tevila ( Hebrew טבילה), immersing the entire body in a mikvah, is next to Netilat Jadajim , the ritual washing of the hands, and Tahara , the washing of the dead, a form of ritual washing in Judaism. The earliest records of these practices are found in the Torah and explained in the Mishnah and Talmud .

Occasions for Tevila in this day and age

There are various situations in which, according to biblical or rabbinical rules, the whole body should be submerged in "living water". To do this, one normally climbs into a mikveh ; but it would also be possible, for. B. to submerge in the sea .

In conservative Judaism

Some conservative rabbis impose on women who are not married but have sexual contacts to purify themselves in a mikveh, since they are considered " nidda " after extramarital sexual contact .

In liberal Judaism

In liberal Judaism , the rules of ritual ablutions are mostly not followed. However, it is up to each individual member whether the rules should be followed. Some women take a bath in the mikveh for spiritual reasons; but this is not necessarily related to the purity laws.

Body fluids and skin problems

The Torah describes various rituals in which skin problems (Tzora'ath) and unnatural genital discharges in men and women (Zav / Zava) are treated. In the times of the temple one had to make special sacrifices and perform rituals, which also included immersion in the mikveh, in order to wash off such problems. Nowadays, immersion in a mikveh is enough. That also includes:

  • Seminar man elimination (including ejaculation), called K e ri.
  • The end of menstruation in women. These are known as "Nidda" during menstruation.

Nidda

See main article Nidda (Judaism)

Zav / Zava

Due to extreme conditions in Roman Palestine, during the time of the Amoraim women got their menstruation irregularly and so they could no longer differentiate between natural (nidda) and unnatural excretion (zava). Therefore, the laws were interpreted more strictly, which led to the fact that the women, as soon as they were bleeding, had no sexual or physical relations with their husbands and after seven days they bathed in a mikveh to be ritually clean again. Today only Orthodox women maintain the rules of the Nidda and Zava.

K e ri

Men who excreted semen, including during intercourse, were denied entry to the temple until they bathed in a mikveh. They were considered unclean until the end of the day (despite the bath).

The Talmud also prescribed that men, while impure, should be excluded from studying the Torah and praying.

Maimonides wrote a refrain in abrogating the commandment, based on an opinion in the Talmud that the Jews of that time would not be able to uphold these laws. Even so, Maimonides himself adhered to these rules.

Few men have followed these rules since Maimonides' repentance. Hasidic Judaism, however, reintroduced regular mikveh visits in order to achieve spiritual purity. As Hasidic Judaism regained importance, Sephardic men and members of the Mizrahim followed suit .

Contact with a carcass

According to the 3rd book of Moses , everyone who comes into contact with an animal that was not slaughtered according to the rules of the Halacha must ritually clean themselves in a mikveh, otherwise they are considered unclean.

Yom Kippur

The biblical regulations for Yom Kippur require that the Jewish high priest who sends the scapegoat to Asazel , ritually bathe afterwards. The same applies to the person who leads the goat away and the person who burns the victims. The Mishnah says that the high priest must soak himself five times and wash his hands and feet ten times.

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  • Carolin Hannah Reese, Die Mikweh , talmud.de. Retrieved May 14, 2017.