Imagine waking up in a hospital bed with amnesia; you haven’t the foggiest clue who you are. You try to recall your most recent memories and how you may have gotten here, but you just can’t seem to remember.
After a few seconds, you come to realize that you truly have no idea who you are. Just then, a group of men enter the room and deliver some shocking news. They tell you that you are the leader of the country and that, once you’re feeling better, there are some important issues for you to deal with. How would you feel? You’d probably hold your head up high, realizing that you are someone important. But what if, instead of addressing you as a world leader, those same people informed you that you were the hospital janitor? Instead of awaiting your return to the presidential office, they’re awaiting your return to the bathrooms on the second floor. How would you feel then? What would you think of yourself?
Why Water?
A central question in the story of the mabul (flood) is why Hashem specifically chose to destroy the world through a flood. Hashem could have chosen any form of destruction, and yet He chose water. Why?
In Judaism, water is often associated with the mitzvah of mikvah, the requirement to immerse oneself in a natural water bath in order to cleanse oneself of spiritual impurity. What is the meaning behind this strange ritual? Washing oneself with water removes physical filth, but how does it affect one’s spiritual state? In order to understand both the mabul and the unique power of mikvah, we must first understand the spiritual concept of water.
The Spiritual Concept of Water
The Maharal (Gevuros Hashem, chap. 19) explains that the fundamental nature of water lies in the fact that it is formless. Water has no independent form; it adopts the shape of its container. The ocean is completely formless, and unlike dry land, it has no pathways or landmarks. This attribute of water reflects its essence. Water represents the initial stage in every creative process. Before something takes form and becomes expressed, it exists in a formless, amorphous state. Through the creative process, physical form emerges from this intangible, formless root. This is why the Torah states that during the creation of the world, there was initially only water. Only afterward did dry land emerge from the water (Bereishis 1:9).
Destroying or Recreating?
This is the deep secret behind the mabul: Hashem was not destroying the world; He was recreating it. The Dor HaMabul (Generation of the Flood) became so corrupted that Hashem decided to start over with Noach alone. Hashem therefore immersed the world in water so that it could return to its primordial state of formlessness and void. Only once it reverted to its original state could the dry land once again emerge from the waters, recreated and reformed. And only once the dry land emerged and the world was birthed once more could Noach leave the teivah (ark).
Personal Creation
This deep nature and purpose of water explains why we are surrounded by amniotic fluid while in the womb. Just as during creation the physical world of form emerged from formless water, we each have our own creation story, and therefore, we each emerge from our own waters; our birth is like the birth of a new world (Sanhedrin 37a).
As we previously discussed, while we are in the womb, a malach teaches us kol haTorah kulah (Nidah 30b). As the Vilna Gaon explains, this refers to the deepest realms of Torah, a transcendent Torah that lies far beyond this world, beyond the confines of space and time. This Torah is the very root of reality, and we are granted complete understanding of its every detail. Not only were you shown this level of Torah, but you also learned your specific share of Torah; you were shown your unique purpose in the world and how your unique role fits into the larger scheme of the human story as a whole. You were given a taste of your own perfection, of what you could, should, and hopefully will become. And from this transcendent realm, you were birthed into the physical world, emerging from these formless waters with the mission to give form to and actualize everything you were shown in the womb while in your primordial, perfect state.
National Creation
A further example of water’s unique spiritual purpose is apparent in the events of k’rias Yam Suf. The commentators point out that the Jewish People’s journey through the Yam Suf appears to be pointless. After all, Chazal explain that Klal Yisrael exited on the very same side from which they entered! (See Arachin 15a and Tosafos there. See also Chizkuni, Shemos 14:22.) If Hashem simply wanted to destroy the Egyptians, there were easier ways to accomplish this. What was the purpose of such a journey?
The Maharal (Gevuros Hashem, chap. 55) explains that yetzias Mitzrayim was the creation and birth of the Jewish People. Therefore, just as the creation and recreation of the world emerged from water, the Jewish People had to be born from water as well. They therefore entered the water and emerged reborn. In essence, the splitting of the Yam Suf was like a pregnant woman’s water breaking. They entered as individuals but emerged reborn as a nation. The entire world, the Jewish nation, and each individual person have a creation story of emerging from formless water into concrete existence.
Mikvah: Personal Re-Creation
We can now understand the unique mitzvah of entering the waters of a mikvah. When we immerse ourselves in the waters of the mikvah, we return to a pure, formless state—the original state of perfection that we possessed while in the womb. By returning to our root and reconnecting to our higher selves, we “wash” away our spiritual impurity. When we emerge, we emerge reborn. It is as if we have been recreated, taking on form and shape for the first time. The process of emerging from the mikvah is comparable to the dry land emerging from the primordial waters.
This sheds light on the unique circumstances that require immersion in a mikvah. For example, a ger (Jewish convert) immerses in the waters of a mikvah as the final step in the conversion process (Yevamos 22a) because a Jewish convert is considered to be born anew (“ger ke’katan she’nolad dami”). The convert immerses in the waters of the mikvah, the medium of recreation, and emerges reborn. He or she enters as an old version of himself or herself but emerges anew—reborn and ready for a new way of life.
Recreating Our Identity
Every day, we get to choose who we are, what we believe in, and how we are going to live our lives. Each morning, we get to create our identity. We are never stuck in the patterns of our past; each day, we begin anew. As Avraham Avinu says, “Anochi afar va’efer—I am but dust and ashes” (Bereishis 18:27). This is generally understood as a statement of extreme humility. However, there is a fundamentally deeper explanation of this statement as well. Ashes represent an elemental breakdown, the most basic particles of an object. Dirt is the starting point of growth, the place where seeds are planted and given life. In a deeper sense, Avraham was saying that every day he would “ash” himself, breaking his very “self” down into its elemental, root form, and he would then plant himself anew. In other words, Avraham would recreate himself every single day. Each and every day, he looked deep within himself, examined and broke down every aspect of his “self,” and then recreated himself for the better, taking the next step in his spiritual growth. Avraham never continued living the same way simply because it was comfortable or he was used to it. Avraham challenged himself daily, constantly pushing himself to become the very best he could be. May we all be inspired to embark on a journey of genuine “afar va’efer,” finding excitement and meaning in our constant growth and internal recreation.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an international speaker, bestselling author, business coach, the CEO of SMA, and a TED Talk Speaker. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Torah thought.. Rabbi Reichman provides a unique 1-on-1 coaching program where he helps high-achievers, coaches, and business owners achieve their financial and personal goals. To learn more or to get in contact with Rabbi Reichman, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com.