by Sherri Goldman, Administration and Finance Director When I was growing up I didn’t know about mikveh. Mikveh just wasn’t a tradition in my Reform Jewish family. Even my Bubbe (Yiddish for Grandmother), who was raised Orthodox and moved to the United States from Ukraine in the 1930’s, never spoke about mikveh. I remember her […]
Continue ReadingThis post is part of a series of blog posts about niddah entitled Sacred Bodies, Sacred Time. Read more here – and submit your own post. by Naomi Malka I was a Hebrew school geek. I went to our Conservative shul’s Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday program. In high school, I volunteered in the Hebrew school office. I went to Hebrew […]
Continue Readingby Robin Weintraub Last week, we read parashat Tazria, and this week, we read parashat Metzora. These Leviticus tomes are full of skin ailments, clothes and linens which contract impurity, beplagued houses, and priestly rituals. They may seem erudite, bizarre, even inaccessible. But these parshiot offer us an opportunity to talk about something much more […]
Continue ReadingThis post is part of a series of blog posts about niddah entitled Sacred Bodies, Sacred Time. Read more here – and submit your own post. by Rachel Lieberman Before I had my first mikveh experience, I was forewarned- “Don’t be disoriented. When you get to the preparation room, there will just be a list of […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein It’s been just over a year since I brought my 5-year old to the mikveh to prepare for becoming a double big sister. Three weeks after that immersion, Jonah was born and our family adjusted to its new addition. The experience Ellie and I shared was powerful and I am grateful that […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Emma Gottlieb It started with vanity. My friends and colleagues were shaving their heads and I didn’t think I could do it. I am told my hair is one of my best (physical) features. I couldn’t imagine being without it. I still can’t, to be honest, but in a matter of weeks I […]
Continue Readingby Walton Clark, Office Assistant Purim is upon us, a time of debauchery and merriment. Having lived in New Orleans for four Mardi Gras celebrations, I know a thing or two about ‘celebration’. Here at Mayyim Hayyim, we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable Purim, so we have made several changes to enhance everyone’s […]
Continue Readingby Sara Epstein At 10 am, I arrived first at the mikveh Mayyim Hayyim in Newton. I rang the bell and was greeted warmly by Amy, my guide. She showed me around the building while we awaited the arrival of three friends who would be coming to witness my ritual cleansing immersion in the Living Waters […]
Continue Readingby Jody Comins As you’ve probably heard, we are approaching our tenth anniversary in May, and we are kicking off a year of celebration with a Benefit Event on May 29th at Temple Israel of Boston. Our benefit events are an opportunity for the community to support Mayyim Hayyim in our fundraising efforts. This year […]
Continue Readingby Alice Levine I’ve always been drawn to water, especially fresh and moving water. Swimming in a fresh, clean lake with no motor boats allowed and no cars in sight or hearing range is my idea of heaven. Hiking is not my exercise of choice, unless it’s to a mountain lake or waterfall. I’m not […]
Continue Readingby Robin Weintraub Adar II is now upon us. We dust off our megillah trope, hunt for our groggers, and brainstorm costume ideas in prepation for celebrating Purim and reading the Book of Esther in a couple of weeks. It is often taught that Esther is the only book in the Bible where God is not […]
Continue ReadingLast December at LimmudBoston, Lisa Berman, Mayyim Hayyim’s Director of Education, moderated a panel discussion entitled “Sacred Bodies, Sacred Time” about the observance of niddah, monthly immersion. According to the laws of niddah, women immerse in the mikveh after menstruation or after giving birth. They refrain from relations with their partners from the beginning of […]
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