Without water, there would be no life on planet Earth. So it’s really no surprise that water shows up in all sorts of places in Jewish life, from holiday traditions to everyday practices. Read on for 14 things Jews do with this refreshing, thirst-quenching, life-giving liquid.
1. Rosh Hashanah: The Tashlich Ritual
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah (or on the second day, if the first day is Shabbat), it’s customary to head to a body of water such as a lake, river, or sea (ideally one with fish) and recite the Tashlich prayers. We symbolically cast our sins into the water, leaving our old shortcomings behind, starting the new year with a clean slate.
Read: What Is Tashlich?
2. Sukkot: Celebrate With It
Back in Temple times, one of Sukkot’s most joyous rituals was Simchat Beit Hashoevah, the Celebration of the Water-Drawing. While most sacrifices came with wine libations poured over the altar, on Sukkot, water was poured in a special ceremony. The joy this ritual sparked was so intense that it was celebrated with music, dancing, and singing that lasted all night long.
Even today, without a Temple and without the water libation, many communities still celebrate Simchat Beit Hashoevah with music and dancing on the nights of Sukkot.
Read: Simchat Beit Hashoevah
3. Make a Blessing Before Drinking It (Usually)
Before drinking water or any other beverage (besides wine or grape juice), we say the blessing of Shehakol: “Blessed are You ... by Whose word all things came to be.”
But water comes with a catch: unlike other drinks, it has no intrinsic taste. So if you’re not actually thirsty or don’t need it to cool off, you don’t make a blessing at all, since you're not deriving any physical need or pleasure from it.1
4. Wash Our Hands
Jews wash their hands multiple times throughout the day: first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, and again before eating bread. Other hand-washing times include after using the restroom, after showering, after putting on or taking off shoes, after a haircut, and after visiting a cemetery.2
Fun fact: It’s commonly believed that Jewish communities saw fewer fatalities during the Black Death, thanks to the frequent handwashing required by Jewish law (though many Jews did tragically lose their lives).
5. Wet Our Fingertips After a Meal
After eating a meal that included bread, before reciting the Grace After Meals, it’s customary to rinse our fingertips. (Some also have the custom of then wetting their lips with their still-moist fingertips.) One reason is to ensure that our hands are clean when we say G‑d’s name in the Grace.3
6. Immerse in It
Immersing in a pool of naturally gathered water, known as a mikvah, is a central part of Jewish life. It’s an integral part of Family Purity, the final step for a woman to regain spiritual purity after niddah, and it’s also a crucial step in converting to Judaism. Many men immerse in a mikvah regularly too, for extra purity and other spiritual benefits.
Read: What Is a Mikvah?
And it’s not just people who take the plunge: before dishes and utensils can be used in a kosher kitchen, they, too, need to acquire an extra measure of holiness through immersion in a mikvah.
Read: Immersion of Vessels
7. Pour Out a Drop Before Drinking
Before drinking a glass of water, some have the custom of pouring out a drop first.4 The Talmud explains that this is because demons may have taken a sip of the water, and pouring out a drop neutralizes any negative effect.5
Take the Drinks in Judaism Quiz
8. Draw Water on Saturday Night
There’s an ancient custom to draw (and drink) water from a well or natural spring on Saturday night (Motzoei Shabbat). It’s based on our Sages’ teaching that the waters of Miriam’s Well flow through every well and natural spring each Saturday night, and that anyone who happens upon those waters and drinks them is instantly healed of any affliction.6
9. Solstice and Equinox Danger
Some avoid drinking water that was left uncovered at the exact moment of a solstice or equinox, since such water is said to be harmful. But if a piece of iron was placed in the water and was sitting inside at that moment, the danger is neutralized.7
10. Water in a Deceased Person’s Vicinity
When someone passes away, it’s customary to pour out all the water in that home, as well as in the two adjoining homes. One reason given is that the Angel of Death imparts a harmful quality to this water. A more practical reason: it publicizes the sad news without anyone having to say it out loud.8
11. Leave It Overnight Before Matzah Baking
Not just any water will do when it comes to making matzah. To avoid fermentation, tradition calls for cool well water that was drawn around dusk and left to sit overnight, known as mayim shelanu (“water that spent the night”).
12. Shavuot, Maghrebi Jews: Get Everyone Wet
In the Jewish communities of North Africa, Shavuot was a wet holiday. Quite fitting, since the Torah is compared to water!9 Children would fill cups with water and pour them on passersby, and nobody minded a bit.
On Shavuot afternoon, Jews would gather in the synagogue and in private homes to read Torah texts. At one point, someone would pour a bucket of water over the reader, drenching him from head to toe. Despite this—or maybe because of it—people would actually compete for the honor of being the reader and getting the water treatment!10
13. Libyan Jews: Pre-Wedding Water Toss
Here’s a water custom from the Libyan Jewish community: the day before a wedding, the bride would walk from her parents’ home to her future in-laws’ home. When she arrived, the groom would climb onto the roof and throw a jug of water down into the house. The jug would shatter and the water would spill across the floor, as a sign of blessing. The bride would then step over the shards, while her friends called out, “Groom, break the jug! Groom, break the jug!”11
Read: 11 Unique Jewish Wedding Traditions from Around the World
14. Add It to Wine
Before making Kiddush, some have the custom of adding a drop of water to the wine. The reason: wine brought misfortune into the world (in fact, according to one tradition, the Tree of Knowledge was actually a grapevine12). Adding a bit of water transforms the wine into a source of blessing instead.13
For a kabbalistic explanation of this custom, read: A Rose Overflowing With Wine
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