Ask the Rav #7: Angels immersing in Mikveh before Davening and more

Question

I heard in a class that it is proper for a person to immerse in a mikvah every day before davening, as this is what the angels do—they immerse daily prior to their prayer to God. When I asked for a source, the teacher could not recall where this is written. I find it quite unusual that such a concept would apply to angels. Is there any basis for this?

Answer

Yes, there is a source for this concept in the discourses of the Alter Rebbe. He explains that angels immerse every single day before offering their prayers to God in order to purify themselves from the impurity and spiritual “dirt” they absorb from their involvement with worldly matters. The Alter Rebbe writes:

“…דהנה מצינו בזה”ק עיני ה’ משוטטים בכל הארץ להשגיח על עניני בנ”א שהן המלאכים ע”י כמה השתל’ כו’ ובכ”י טובלין אותן בנהור דינור לרחצן ולטובלן קודם אמירתן שירה וקדושה מפני הסירחון ורוח רעה שקבלו מהשגחתם ע”ז העולם…”

(Translation: We find in the Zohar that the eyes of Hashem roam throughout the earth to oversee human affairs, which is done through the angels via many levels of descent. Before they recite their song and holiness, they are immersed every day in a river of light to cleanse and purify themselves from the foulness and negative spirit they absorbed through their supervision of this world.)

The Alter Rebbe uses this as a lesson for man: just as angels require purification before prayer due to their involvement with worldly matters, so too a person should strive to detach from material concerns and purify themselves—ideally through immersion in a mikvah—before standing in prayer.

Source:

Mamarei Admur Hazakein on Mamarei Chazal p. 35