In this week’s Daf Yomi (Horayot 5a), the Gemara
discusses the status of a tevul yom — one who immersed in a mikveh but has not
yet waited for sunset. 

  

The Torah says explicitly (Vayikra 11:32): 

  

 וְטָמֵא
עַד־הָעָרֶב וְטָהֵר 

“…he shall be tamei until evening, and then he shall be
tahor.” 

  

The question jumps off the page: 

If immersion in the mikveh purifies, why is it not
enough? 

Why must the Torah insist on waiting for הֶעֶרֶב שֶׁמֶשׁ? 

  

The Gemara 

 • Horayot 5a: discusses a tevul yom
who is still lacking ha‘arev shemesh and cannot yet eat kodashim. He has acted,
but his taharah is incomplete until the day itself ends. 

 • The same principle appears in other
masechtot: 

 • Zevachim 22a: “טבול יום חסר הערב שמש”
— the tevul yom is still missing sunset. 

 • Chagigah 20b: a tevul yom is in an
“in-between” state — not tamei enough to forbid everything, but not tahor
enough for kodashim. 

 • Nazir 16b: compares tevul yom to
one who has not yet brought his korban; the process is incomplete until all
steps are done. 

  

So halachically: tevillah begins the process, but ha‘arev
shemesh completes it. 

  

Ramban 

  

The Ramban (on Vayikra 11:39) writes: 

  

 “הטבילה
מטהרת את הגוף מן הטומאה, אבל הערב שמש הוא טהרת היום.” 

“The immersion purifies the body from the tumah, but the
setting of the sun purifies the day.” 

  

The mikveh removes the person’s impurity. But the day
itself, the time in which tumah occurred, must also be cleansed — and that can
only happen when the sun sets. 

  

Rashba 

  

The Rashba (Torat HaBayit, Beit 4, Sha’ar 1): 

  

 “הטבילה
מסירה רוב הטומאה, אבל נשאר רשימה עד שיעריב שמשו.” 

“Immersion removes most of the tumah, but a trace remains
until the sun sets.” 

  

Like a stain — most is washed away, but a faint mark
lingers until the cycle of time itself clears it completely. 

  

Maharal 

  

The Maharal (Tiferet Yisrael, ch. 20): 

  

 “אין
האדם נחשב חדש עד שיחזור העולם למצבו מחדש, וזהו בהערב שמש.” 

“A person is not considered truly new until the world
itself renews, and this occurs with the setting of the sun.” 

  

The mikveh is rebirth, but a new creation is only sealed
when the world itself turns the page with nightfall. 

  

Zohar and Kabbalah 

  

The Zohar (Shemini 41a): 

  

 “טומאה
דבקה ביומא, ובשקיעת שמשא מסתלקא טומאה מיני.” 

“Tumah clings to the day itself, and with the setting of
the sun the tumah departs from it.” 

  

The Arizal explains: tumah attaches to the dinim (the
judgments) of that day. Only when the sun sets, and the gevurah of that day
dissolves, can taharah be complete. 

  

Chassidut 

  

The Sfat Emet (Emor, 5643): 

  

 “הטבילה
היא אתערותא דלתתא, אבל הערב שמש הוא אתערותא דלעילא.” 

“Immersion is the awakening from below, but the setting
of the sun is the awakening from above.” 

  

We begin the work, but Hashem must complete it. 

  

The Life Lesson 

  

This halachah is a parable for life. 

Sometimes we must act with all our strength — plunge into
the waters, do the mitzvah, cry the tefillah. 

But we cannot finish the job alone. 

Only Hashem can close the day and open a new one. 

  

The Tears of a Grandfather 

  

I thought about this when we spoke recently of that young
girl on TJJ. 

She came to our home on Sukkot, curious, holding a lulav
and etrog for the very first time. 

Her great-grandfather was a holy man. 

Can you imagine his pain in this world? Watching his
descendants drift, never living to see his great-grandchildren return. 

  

But he did his part. He cried, he prayed, he planted
seeds. That was his mikveh. 

  

And then he had to wait. 

Because time is only relative to us. 

Hashem decides when the ha‘arev shemesh will come — when
the cycle will turn, and the tumah of that day will pass. 

  

And then, a generation or two later, a granddaughter
awakens. She steps into a sukkah, curious, ready to return. 

That is Hashem finishing the work. That is the sun
setting and taharah becoming whole. 

  

Takeaway 

  

The mikveh is us. The sunset is Hashem. 

We must immerse, act, and cry. 

But only Hashem can bring the evening, close the page,
and finish what we began. 

  

So in our struggles, our hopes for our children, and our
tefillot for Am Yisrael — do your part. Immerse yourself in the work. 

And trust that in His time, Hashem will bring the evening
and complete the taharah.