Mikvah and Purification

“And he shall bathe all his flesh in the water” (Leviticus 15:16), and the Sages derived that nothing should intervene between his flesh and the water. The definite article in the phrase “in the water” indicates that this bathing is performed in water mentioned elsewhere, i.e., specifically in the water of a ritual bath, and not in just any water.

Rabbi Akiva said: How fortunate are you, Israel; before Whom are you purified, and Who purifies you? It is your Father in Heaven, as it is stated: “And I will sprinkle purifying water upon you, and you shall be purified” (Ezekiel 36:25). And it says: “The ritual bath of Israel is God” (Jeremiah 17:13). Just as a ritual bath purifies the impure, so too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, purifies Israel.

(12) It is obviously clear that the laws concerning defilements and purities are biblical decrees, and not things which the human mind can determine; they are classified as divine statutes. So too, immersion as a means of ridding oneself from defilement is included among the divine statutes. Defilement is not mud or filth to be removed with water, but is a matter of biblical decree; it depends on the heart's intent. Accordingly, the sages have declared: If a man immersed himself, but without a definite purpose in view, it is as though he had not immersed himself at all. Nevertheless, there is some ethical allusion to this: just as one who sets his mind on becoming clean becomes clean as soon as he has immersed himself, even though nothing new is produced in his physical being, so one who sets his mind on purifying himself from all the spiritual defilements, namely wrongful thoughts and evil traits, becomes clean as soon as he made up his mind to abstain from those notions, and brought his soul into the waters of reason. Indeed, Scripture declares: "I will pour clean water over you, and you shall be clean; from all your impurities and idolatries I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25).

And a candle is lit for it above its head, and it gazes from one end of the world to the other, as it is stated: “When His lamp shined above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3). And do not wonder how one can see from one end of the world to the other, as a person can sleep here, in this location, and see a dream that takes place in a place as distant as Spain [beAspamya].

(2) And about the reason that water purifies everything impure, I would think on the side of the simple understanding that it is in order that a man see himself with the immersion as if he is created at that time, [just] like the whole world was water before man was upon it - as it is written (Genesis 1:2), "and the spirit of God floated upon the face of the waters." And through this comparison, he place upon his heart that [just] like he is renewed in his body, he also renew his actions for the good, fix his actions and be exacting in the way of God, blessed be He. And therefore the Sages said that the purification is not fit with water that is in a vessel, but rather only with living water - or collected [water], which is on the ground and, in any case, not in a vessel - in order to place in his heart the thought as if the world was entirely water, and [that] he is renewed with his emerging from them, as we said. But if the water was in a vessel - or even if it passed through a vessel - this matter that we said would not be set in the thought of the one immersing. As there is a limit to all that is in a vessel, which is the creation of the hands of man. And therefore when he immerses in a vessel, he will not think as if the whole world is water like at the beginning [of Creation], and that he is renewed at that time. 'And the one who accepts, will accept; and the one who refrains will refrain.'

...This is the nature of bathing in the mikvah of water, for water preceded the world, for the beginning of creation was from the water, as Rashi explained in Genesis 1, Didn't the waters precede creation? and so on. And thus the waters are closest to the primordial world which is above time. And thus, in truth, the wholeness of knowledge, which is a perception of "above time" as above is compared to water, as it says, And the earth shall be full of knowledge of God as the water covers the sea. And thus water came into existence before light, as it says (Genesis 1:2) And the spirit of the Lord was hovering over the face of the waters. And after that: And the Lord said, let there be light. For the order of times come from the light, as it says there, "And the Lord called the light day...and it was evening and it was morning, one day..." And the water preceded that, for water came into existence before the order of times came into existence, for water are the beginning of creation, the aspect of the wholeness of mind/consciousness, that through them [conscious minds] are included in the "before creation" that is a perception of "above time".

And therefore there, in the water, the spirit of Mashiach is hovering, as it says "And the spirit of the Lord was hovering over the waters." And our sages taught, this means the spirit of Mashiach. For Mashiach is in the nature of wholeness of mind, which is in the nature of "above time" etc.

And thus it is impossible for a convert (ger) to enter into the sanctity of Israel which is in the nature of "above time" except by bathing in the mikvah of water. Because by bathing in the mikvah of water [this ger] is included in the perception of "before creation" and the perception of "above time" etc., for there in the water [the ger] draws upon themselves the holiness and the purity from the perception of the spirit of Mashiach that is hovering there, that from there are drawn all sanctities in the world, for the central wholeness of correction of the wholeness of sanctity is from the spirit of Mashiach who will come speedily in our days and will correct everything. And this is the perception of purity by ritually bathing all the impure ones in the world....for all of the impurities in the world are a product of time, since they come from the evil actions that are done "under the sun" - precisely [because they are] "under the sun" as explained above. And the main correction is by drawing forth the holiness, from the perception of the wholeness of mind, which will become revealed by Mashiach, who is in the nature of "above time," and this is in the nature of a ritual bath in the waters of Mikvah, as explained above.