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Mayim Chayim
Throughout our trip to Israel and the many archeological sites we visited,we were told “How did we know there was a Jewish community here? Because there was a mikvah (a ritual bath). And so we saw many, many mikva’ot (or mikvahs, ritual baths). Some were small, some were large. In some areas, there were many, and in one, there were two staircases. The general consensus is that this was so that people could go in one way and out the other in order to have a continual line of people being purified. Why so many though? Were that many people impure? Were that many people in need of becoming pure? What even makes someone impure? Why is it so important that someone be pure?
In this week’s parsha, Emor, we get a sense of the many things that can make someone impure and more importantly, why it is so important to be in a state of purity. God instructs Moshe to tell the Israelites, “Throughout the ages, if any among your offspring, while in a state of impurity, partakes of any sacred donation that the Israelite people may consecrate to Adonai, that person shall be cut off from before Me: I am Adonai.”
So having mikvah availability surrounding the Temple seems pretty important. If one eats of a sacrifice in a state of impurity (or even goes to the Temple in a state of impurity), they are cut off from God. Some say this means that their soul will be detached from God (and the afterlife) while some commentators believe this means they will die prematurely. With the thousands of people coming into Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple, that would require a lot of places to become pure and the in and out mikvah stairs situation seems pretty logical.
Without the sacrificial systems and without the Temple, do we still have a reason to be ritually pure? Sure! This is why we see so many mikva’ot outside of Jerusalem as well. Remember that while the water may have had some cleanliness purposes then, today, we don’t really think of going to mikvah as being “clean”. The water is supposed to be “mayim chayim”, living water - from a lake or the ocean or rainwater. There is no soap involved. Usually you feel like you need a shower afterward. But this living water gives you a sense of being alive - and keeping your connection to God alive as well.
While most of us in our community may not visit a mikvah regularly today, with the abundance of mayim chayim, living waters, in our geographical area, I encourage you, next time you step into the gulf or a lake or even get stuck in the rain (the pool doesn’t count!), to feel that sense of life within it. Take a moment to connect to God and let this natural living water add a sense of purity to your life.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Blatt
Check out our trip to Israel!
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