Water in Judaism

The first mention of water in Judaism and later Christianity is in the first verse of Genesis “in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of god was moving over the face of the waters” (Gen1:1-2). The order of the creation story is also telling after creating the heavens and the earth, god then creates light and separates it from the darkness, this is the third thing god does And god said, “ let there be firmament in the midst of the waters” (Gen1:1-6). “So god created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the water swarm according to their kinds and every winged bird according to its kind” (Gen 1-21). “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”(Ex: 14-27-28). Also mentioned that life in ancient Palestine as all civilizations was dependent on sources of fresh water, villages were massed around water supplies. Grain a necessary element for survival and wealth required water. Dependence on water for both the Israelites and for their enemies is mentioned several times in the scripture.

Use of water in Jewish ceremonies: In Judaism, ritual washing intended to restore or maintain a state of ritual purity; its origins are found in the torah. In temple times, ablutions were practiced by priests, converts to Judaism as a part of the initiation rites and by woman on the seventh day after their menstrual period. Also mentioned (the mikveh), Jewish ritual bath required for cleansing after contact with dead bodies or after menstruation.