What is a Mikvah

History

Traditionally, the mikvah was used by both men and women for various purposes. Everyone was required to go to the mikvah upon coming into contact with the dead or other ritually unclean (tamei) objects if they wanted to enter the temple area or eat Terumah. Nazirites were required to immerse in the mikvah upon completing their vows, lepers were required to immerse upon healing, priests were required to immerse before performing certain Temple rites, men were required to immerse after having a nocturnal emission (this is still practiced by some as tevilath Ezra, "the immersion of Ezra"), and women after giving birth or menstruating.

Ancient mikvahs dating from Temple times (predating 70 CE) can be found throughout the Land of Israel, as well as in the diaspora.

Present situation

Today, among Orthodox Jews, only women are still required to immerse in a mikvah after childbirth or menstruation before they have intercourse with their husbands. In some Orthodox communities, men may immerse before their wedding. Women immerse themselves before the day of their wedding, after their last pre-wedding menstrual cycle in order to be ritually pure for their wedding night. Traditionally, converts to Judaism also immerse in the mikvah, although a minority of Reform rabbis do not require this. Some men, especially in Hasidic circles, also use the mikvah regularly, either daily, before Shabbat, or before certain Jewish holidays. Since a woman's use of the mikvah is a private matter, men and women may have separate mikvah facilities in separate locations, or have different designated times to use the same mikvah; however, according to halacha, when a man immerses into a mikvah, after having any seminal emissions, it does not need to be a 'kosher mikvah', in that it doesn't need to have rain water (or melted snow), and also doesn't require the "mem sa'eh" amount of water. The men's mikvah may be regular tap water because there is no halachic obligation on the man to become pure. This is not the case however when a convert immerses, they fall under the same legal requirement for purity as a woman, after her menstrual cycle. Orthodox Judaism also requires immersing vessels and utensils used for food in a kosher mikvah, when bought by a jew, from a gentile.

A Jewish funeral home may have a mikvah for immersing a body during the purification (tahara) procedure before burial.

[edit] Requirements of a mikvah

The rules regarding the construction of mikvaot are complicated. The immersion itself must take place in a "ma'ayan" a spring or well. Certain rivers or lakes can therefore be used for immersion, but one should always check with a mikvah expert to be sure as to the status of a particular body of water. Standard bathtubs cannot be used. Alternately, rain water can also be used, and is the source of most mikvah water today. Though a certain amount of rainwater is required, this can be augmented with regular tap water, which has a connection to the pool of rain water. This later formula is often used so that the water used for immersion can be frequently changed. A pool of rainwater (bor) is connected with a duct to a regular bathing pool, and the duct is closed to empty and replace the regular water without having to replace the rain water. A mikvah must contain a minimum of forty se'ah of water, approximately 200 gallons or 750 liters.

[edit] Reasons for immersion

Except as noted, these are all required in modern times under the practice of Orthodox Judaism

• Women
• Menstruation
• Childbirth
• Before their chuppah wedding
• Men
• The next evening after a nocturnal emission
• Daily mornings, under some Hasidic customs
• Weekly before Shabbat, under some Hasidic customs
•  Before Yom Kippur (Obligatory)[citation needed]
• Either gender
• Before a Holy Day, according to one's individual minhag (custom)
• Conversion
• T'vilah (lit. immersion c.v. "toivelling") - immersion of utensils
  
  Requirements for immersion

Immersion requires that the water cover the entire body. To make sure that water literally touches every part of the body, All clothing, jewelry, and even bandages must be removed. In contemporary mikvaot for women, there is always an experienced attendant, commonly called the "mikvah lady", to watch the immersion and ensure that the woman has been entirely covered in water.

Hair

There is some debate about the requirements for hair. In order to make sure that the water touches all parts of the hair, one cannot wear braids. The debate comes as to whether the hair must be combed straight so that there are no knots. Typically, Sephardic Jews are ethnically darker, with curly hair. This can be almost wiry, and difficult to comb. Black Jews also take issue with this primarily Ashkenazi stance, particularly when it comes to dreadlocks. One must consult their Rabbi to issue a psak (ruling). This ruling must be obtained in all instances, because it may vary even within a community, based on the person's hair.

For example, a possible psak in favor of dreadlocks:

• a dreadlock is not actually braided, but is rather periodically twisted,
• the hair may be loose enough (depending upon the person) to become thouroughly saturated with no question as to whether all the hair got wet, particularly if the person showered first,
• it would cause pain to comb through the hair naturally,
• and, according to Kitzur Dinei Taharah; A Digest of the Niddah Laws Following the Rulings of the Rebbes of Chabad, "Even one knotted hair, whether knotted in itself or with another hair, is considered a chatzitzah [intervening substance] if the woman is makpid [strict] on it. When the majorit of her hairs are individually knotted, it is a chatzitzah even if she is not makpid. If, however, the knot is formed from two or more hairs, then whether the two hairs are knotted around themselves or with two other hairs, it is not a chatzitzah (since they do not stick so tightly, water can enter between them."