[Seph. mee-kvah; Ashk., Eng. mik-vuh] 
[Seph. -vawt; Ashk. -vohs] , English. -vahs. Hebrew. | a ritual bath to which Orthodox Jews are traditionally required to go on certain occasions, as before the Sabbath and after each menstrual period, to cleanse and purify themselves. |
mikveh
("collection [of water]"), in Judaism, a pool of natural water in which one bathes for the restoration of ritual purity. The Mishna (Jewish code of law) describes in elaborate detail the requirements for ritually proper water and for the quantity of water required for ritual cleansing. In former times, a mikvah was so essential to each community of Jews that, if necessary, a synagogue could be sold to finance its construction
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