In Judaism, the mikveh is a ritual purification bath.
The word literally means “a collection”, usually “of water”.
Immersion in the bath must be complete (not even one hair can remain above water).
The mikveh represents a womb: like a child coming out of the amniotic fluid to be born, the practice of immersion in the water symbolises a moment of rebirth.
The sacrament of baptism in the Catholic religion also derives from this rite.
