After deciding to start my current search for simcha (Jewish joy) on Hoshana Rabbah, one of the first things I did that morning was immerse myself in one of the local mikvehs. Hoshana Rabbah is the day when the judgment process that has started on Rosh HaShana is sealed, and I wanted to feel spiritually pure.

The mikveh was originally intended for regaining ritual purity during Temple times. The Temple of course no longer exists (much to our great sorrow), but there is still a need for ritual purity for certain mitzvot.

Additionally, many Jews find that they are spiritually uplifted by immersing in the mikveh. There are Jewish men who choose not to go to the mikveh, but I have incorporated it into my spiritual practice, going most Friday mornings. I have found that a pre-Shabbat immersion gets me in the right mind frame and helps me prepare for the joy of Shabbat.

The wonderful book Jewish Spiritual Practices, by Yitzhak Buxbaum*, explains how the mikveh can take us to a higher plane (page 568 of my edition):

There are a number of ways to understand the symbolic or spiritual ‘meaning’ of water and immersion in water. One powerful aspect of water immersion is the entrance into a completely different medium, which surrounds you on all sides. This can easily symbolize the entrance into a new state of consciousness, where G-d’s presence is revealed. Such a kavvanah (intention) is made even stronger by an awareness that the Shechinah (G-d’s presence) is especially present in the mitzvah waters of the mikveh.

In an effort to expand my consciousness and increase my simcha, I have started doing a two-part visualization in the mikveh. While totally immersing myself, I visualize the warm, surrounding water as pure happiness. It is life-giving, sustaining and literally keeping me afloat. The happiness is all around me, touching me – and I am touching it.

I then picture any hurt or sadness that is inside of me, or that has been inside of me, leaving my mind and body and entering into the mikveh, where it is instantly dissolved by the sea of happiness. Maybe this visualization seems fitting to me because the root letters for “mikveh” in Hebrew are the same root letters for the word “hope.”

In addition to feeling spiritually pure that Hoshana Rabbah, I left feeling spiritually uplifted and happier – and hopeful for a happier future. For those of you who immerse in a mikveh, feel free to try the visualization. I hope it helps!

NOTES:

Ritual immersion has gotten a great deal of attention lately, because of alleged criminal activity by a Rabbi in the U.S. If guilty, he should of course be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. My prayers are with his alleged victims and I support measures that will enable everyone to feel safe and protected when using a mikveh.

*I am NOT being paid to promote this book and I have no connection to it, other than the fact that I bought it many years ago and I have found it to be life-changing.

The feature photo above of an ancient mikveh is from ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock.com.