Mikvah

I've sometimes blogged about the church traditions that I love. The richness and symbolism of high worship amazes me.

There is even more to be discovered in the richness and symbolism of Judaic tradition, especially that which was birthed out of not the Talmud but the Law. A novel I read last week, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (Anne Rice) gave me a new vision of some of these traditions.

The one that really struck me was about the mikvah. I learned about the mikvah when I read Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God. A mikvah is a pool or bath used by Jews for ritual purification. One would completely submerge oneself in the water before going to the temple, after an illness, or at other times when it was necessary to be 'clean.' For Lauren Winner, the mikvah was a central part of her conversion to orthodox Judaism: she entered the mikvah as a Gentile, and after three immersions she arose a Jew.

But oh, the riches of the tradition! One requirement of the mikvah is that the water not be stagnant. At the very least, mikvahs have small drains in the bottom to keep the water flowing. Because, you see, the water must be living water. Living Water.

That which Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman was already vividly imaged in the tradition of the Jews. In Jesus was the fulfullment of all the Law and Prophets. Each time I see another facet of this phenomenon, I am struck dumb by the majesty of God.




(And to think I get excited about how the creators of LOST planned a complete storyline that included hints and details from the very beginning. Ha.)