Total immersion in Hashem’s mikveh ,Sincere Submersion ,Total immersion in Hashem’s mikveh
A s Yom Kippur approaches we experience a mix of feelings swinging from trepidation and dread to elation. We move from the royal and pensive contemplation of Rosh Hashanah to the awe-inspiring Aseres Yemei Teshuvah that culminate with Yom Kippur. The day tests our physical stamina as we fast and emotionally humbles us as we repent. Its conclusion is the stunning embrace of Hashem as our King and our triumphant entrance into Chag HaSuccos.
Cleansed by Our Father in Heaven
Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel in his sefer Hegyonos El Ami compares this process to the ritual of mikveh. He quotes the famous mishnah (Yoma 8:9):
“Said Rabi Akiva: ‘How fortunate is Yisrael. Before Whom are you cleansed and Who cleanses you? Your Father in Heaven… As it says: The mikveh of Yisrael is Hashem; just like a mikveh cleanses the impure so Hashem cleanses Yisrael.’ ”
The process of tevilah in a mikveh requires a person to be completely submerged in its waters. The water must completely envelop him flowing beneath his feet and over his head. He could spend an entire day standing next to the mikveh looking at it and it wouldn’t alter his status by a hair’s breadth. Additionally any foreign object that acts as a barrier between the body and the water would invalidate the tevilah and the mikveh would not render him pure.
