Slowly descend the steps into the mikveh waters and immerse completely so that every part of your body is covered by the warm water. When you emerge, recite the following blessing:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְבִלָה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu al hat’vilah.

Praised are You, Adonai, God of all creation, who sanctifies us with Your commandments and commands us concerning immersion. 

Source: Mayyim Hayyim

Mayyim Hayyim is a resource for learning, spiritual discovery and creativity, as well as a mikveh (ritual bath) rooted in ancient tradition, reinvented to serve the Jewish community of today. They make mikveh accessible for people of all genders and ages and invite us to explore the ritual on our own terms. Below, the team at Mayyim Hayyim answers questions about how you can explore mikveh as part of your own spiritual practice. To learn more, visit https://www.mayyimhayyim.org/.

As I leave these healing waters, I look at my body and see the ways it has been transformed by this act of creation. I pray to be guided safely through the passage of labor and birth and that my baby will arrive with strength and vigor. May the wisdom I have gained through this pregnancy guide me as I open to the possibility of all that is yet to come.

Clip source: Mayyim Hayyim

To be read before you immerse:

Humbly I stand before You today, blessed with the gift of life. (4)

I pray that the Source of All Life will protect me and my baby in this pregnancy. May I be granted health and healing in body and mind as my baby continues to grow within me. Just as I am supported by these living waters, may we both be protected and supported until it is safe for this new life to be born. May I emerge from these waters ready to move forward with strength and hope renewed.

Take a deep breath and exhale completely, while gently and completely immersing for a third time.

Clip source: Mayyim Hayyim

Water plays a major role in the sacred narrative of the Jewish people. For example, the passage of the Hebrews through the waters of the Red Sea marked their transformation from a tribe of slaves to a free people. 

Mikveh symbolically enacts changes in personal status for individuals. The most common and best-known purposes of ritual immersion include niddah, a time of physical separation between partners during a menstrual cycle, and conversion to Judaism, which is finalized by immersion in a mikveh. 

Historically, Jews have elected to immerse at other times as well, such as in preparation for Shabbat and during the ninth month of pregnancy. Today, Jews immerse for a variety of reasons, such as: to celebrate milestone events like bar and bat mitzvah, graduation, or significant birthday and anniversaries; to signify a new start in the aftermath of pain and trauma; to mark the end of a period of grief; and to heal after miscarriage, chemotherapy, or assault. 

The formal ritual is simple and brief. Once in the water, the person ducks under to fully submerge for a moment, then recites a short blessing (Mayyim Hayyim provides traditional and creative texts). The person then immerses one or two more times, according to their custom, recites a blessing, and leaves the water.