is recited; on others, it is not. Full-body immersion (Tevilah) There are several occasions on which biblical or rabbinical regulations require immersion of the whole body, referred to as tevilah. Depending on the circumstances, such ritual bathing might require immersion in "living water" - either by using a natural stream or by using a mikveh (a specially constructed ritual bath, connected directly to a natural source of water, such as a spring). This article discusses the requirements of immersion in Rabbinic Judaism and its descendants. Some other branches of Judaism, such as Haymanot Judaism, have substantially different practices including the requirement of an actual spring or stream. Current practice Occasions on which full-body immersion is currently practiced include: After a woman's niddah period concludes following menstruation or other uterine bleeding, she must immerse and only then is permitted to resume sexual relations with her husband. This practice remains the principal use of contemporary mikvehs. It is fully observed in Orthodox Judaism, and normative in Conservative Judaism. Some Orthodox men immerse after having a seminal discharge (keri). In Orthodox Judaism, there is a widespread minhag for men, to immerse themselves on the day prior to Yom Kippur, and many do so before the three pilgrimage festivals and before Rosh Hashanah. Many also immerse themselves before the Shabbat, and many (primarily Hasidic Jews) do so daily before morning prayers. A convert to Judaism must immerse. Taharah, ("Purification"), the ritual washing and cleansing, and immersion in a mikveh according to many customs, of a Jew's body prior to burial Prior to ascending the Temple Mount (by those Orthodox or Masorti authorities who permit ascending the Temple Mount) Past practice Bodily fluids and skin conditions The Torah prescribes rituals addressing the skin condition known as tzaraath and unusual genital discharges in a man or woman (Zav/Zavah), which required special sacrifices and rituals in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem including immersion in a mikveh. The practice of checking for tzaraath fell out of use with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the end of sacrificial rites. However, each of the other requirements remains in effect to some extent in Orthodox Judaism and (to a lesser degree) in Conservative Judaism. Zavah A woman experiencing uterine blood, not part of normal menstruation, was classified as a zavah in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem and remained in a state of ritual impurity