tevilah

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Pronunciations

tevilah (teh-vee-LAH)

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Definitions

  • n. The process of submerging oneself for spiritual purification such as in a mikvah.

  • n. The ritual immersion of new utensils or dishes in order to kasher them before use.

Example Sentences

  • "It's very clear from the SA that the military-industrial mikvah system that we have now is not how it was or how it's supposed to be. Every woman was in charge of her own tevilah. There was no policing from rabbis or their representatives." (source)

  • "I haven't done tevilah in my own kitchen, but I do boil new things in a pot before they are used." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • טְבִילָה 'lit. immersion'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      tevila, tvilah, tvila

Notes

  • "This [submergence] can take place in any natural body of water or in a specially constructed ritual bath known as a mikveh. The Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements require tevilah for men and women who are converting to Judaism." (JPS)

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