Jews
are expected to immerse themselves in a mikvah, or ritual bath,
beforehand in order to fulfil the biblical command, “You shall immerse
yourselves in water and be purified.”
What is a MIKVAH?
Mikvah (or mikveh)
(Hebrew: ???????,
Standard Miqva Tiberian Miqw?h; plural: mikva'ot or mikves)
is a specific type of bath designed
for the purpose of ritual washing in Judaism.
The word "mikvah", as
used in the Hebrew Bible, literally means a "collection" - generally,
a collection of water.
[1] Several
biblical regulations specify that full immersion in water is required to
regain ritual purity after ritually impure incidents have occurred.
Most forms of impurity can
be nullified through immersion in any natural collection of water.
Some, such as a Zav, however
require "living water,"
[2] such as springs
or groundwater wells.
Living Water has the
further advantage of being able to purify even while flowing as opposed
to rainwater which must be stationary in order to purify.
The mikvah is designed
to simplify this requirement, by providing a bathing facility that remains
in ritual contact with a natural source of water.
Its main uses nowadays
are:
by Jewish women to achieve ritual
purity after menstruation or childbirth
by Jewish men to achieve ritual
purity (see details below) as part of a traditional procedure for conversion
to Judaism
for utensils used for food
This practice, from which Messianinc
baptism originated, symbolizes purification, regeneration and new birth
through repentance. John the Baptist came from a group that practiced TheMikvah
in the dessert. His calling was to prepare the Way of the Lord and bring
the people to full repentance.
Although we do not know very
much about the activities and practices of the group of disciples who followed
John the Baptist. We do know, however, that this group fasted, which made
them similar to the Pharisees.
Matthew
9:14 KJV
When they fasted, the disciples
were no doubt following John’s example.
Luke 7:33
KJV
Prayer and fasting were often
linked in Judaism. The disciples of John were also known for the prayers
their master taught them.
Luke 11:1
KJV
When they saw this, Jesus’ disciples
asked the Lord to teach them to pray, and Jesus responded with the Lord’s
Prayer.
Luke 11:2-4
KJV
So on this holiday, we greet
each other with the words “gemar chatimah tovah,” meaning, “May
you be sealed for good in God's Book of Life in the coming year.”
It is also customary to give
extra charity before the holiday.
From the evening of the holiday
until sundown the following day (except for the few hours when they
go home to sleep), Jews and beleivers around the world are in the
synagogue/congregations beseeching God for forgiveness and reflecting upon
the course of their lives.
The mood is one of solemnity
and awe, but also of hope.
A spirit of holiness pervades
the congregation as all stand before God appealing for His merciful judgement.
We experienced an awesome
Spirit of revereance and holiness this Friday night at The Catacombs as
we worshiped God and received the forgiveness of our sins.
We begun our evening services
with the recitation of the powerful and emotionally evocative Kol Nidrei
prayer,
which is a plea for absolution from any and all unfulfilled vows a person
may have made in the course of a year.
An entirely different synagogue
or congregation liturgy is used every year only on this day.
The services on Yom Kippur
morning
and afternoon also contain a number of unique features.
The Jewish people around
the world recite a series of confessionals for sins we may have committed
during the past year, recalling how the high priest in ancient days entered
the Holy of Holies as intercessor to pray for forgiveness for the House
of Israel -Leviticus 16.
This is a practice that is
rarely seen in Gentile believers but that is becoming more and more prevalent
as we get closer to the return of the Jewsih Messiah.
This is also a time to remember
our loved ones and our ancestors who suffered martyrdom for the faith rather
than abandon their faith in God and recite prayers of Yizkor, or “remembrance,”
for the souls of deceased family members.
This is also a practice that
is rarely seen among the Gentiles for the many mixed practices of praying
for the dead. Here we are hnoring our loved ones, giving thanks to the
Lord for their lives and nothing elsse.
The Biblical passages read
on this holy day include Isaiah 58.
Isaiah 58 describes
the true nature of a fast day, and the Book of Jonah, which reminds
us that, though we can never flee from God or His judgement, God is loving,
merciful, and forgiving but He will find us even in the bellyof a whale.
Finally, as nightfall approaches
and Yom Kippur is about to come to an end, we pray the Neilah, or
“closing service.”
The liturgy of this service
describes the heavenly gates as closing, leaving man with a last opportunity
to plead his case before final judgement.
The prayer service reaches
its climax as the congregation declares the central Jewish affirmation,
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One. Blessed be His glorious
kingdom for ever and ever,” and repeats seven times the phrase, “God
is the Lord.”
The service concludes with
one blast of the shofar or ram's horn. The congregation, trusting in God
and confident of His favourable judgement, proclaims, “Next year in
Jerusalem!”
Thus the drama of the Day
of Atonement reaches its finale and the High Holy Days come to a close.
In My Own Words,
Edmund DeSoto
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