by Nina B. Lichtenstein As a convert to Judaism, I have always said that “doing Jewish” is how my chosen identity anchored and deepened itself, and it has helped explain (to myself) why I embraced so fervently (relatively speaking) the laws of Shabbat, kashrut, and taharat ha-mishpacha (the laws of family purity). These three pillars […]
Continue ReadingBy Leann Shamash So much of what is written in Parshat Metzora, this week’s Torah portion, concerning blood and emissions still lives on to this day. Who would think that a parsha which details bodily emissions would spur a tradition of mikveh, with water a liquid vehicle to heal and transform? Mayyim Hayyim has taken […]
Continue Readingby Shira Cohen-Goldberg Mayyim Hayyim hasn’t let a pandemic get in the way of building a more vibrant, inclusive Jewish community. In fact, even while its doors were closed, Mayyim Hayyim found a way to make mikveh open and accessible for everyone, including me. Because of Mayyim Hayyim, I realized that I was not alone, […]
Continue Readingby Shira Cohen-Goldberg Today I did something hard. No, it wasn’t homeschooling two children while keeping a toddler out of danger and trying to work my day job. That was today, yesterday, the day before that, and will likely be tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that. While nothing during this pandemic […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David Originally published on the Times of Israel blog To immerse or not to immerse? That is the question. And if not to immerse, or if immersing becomes impossible, can (and should) we who have made mikveh our rabbinic pulpit offer an alternative in these times? Shmaya: A Mikveh For Mind, Body and […]
Continue Readingby Shirah Hecht Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and said, In truth, [the Glory of] Adonoy is [dwells] in this place, and I did not know it [would not have known it]. Mikveh and Embodied Judaism Mikveh and I encountered each other a few times in my life, always with positive associations. I first went to the mikveh before my wedding, at age 22, […]
Continue Readingby Abbie Yamamoto The practice of mikveh feels nourishing. The way the water hugs and buoys me up just a little feels like the physical embodiment of support. When I enter the mikveh, the water envelops me completely, and gently touches every single part of my body. This feels both intimate and a little invasive. […]
Continue ReadingBy Sarah Zell Young Mayyim Hayyim’s Niddah Salon brought together women with diverse backgrounds who identify as Jewish to explore the relationship between themselves and Jewish text and tradition. Over the course of the year we studied Hilchot Niddah – the Jewish laws of family purity. It was not just a study of the text itself; the […]
Continue Readingby Naomi Baine My husband and I go to the mikveh together. It may not be common, but for us, it’s great. Here’s why. We observe niddah, the practice of abstaining from sexual intimacy around the time of menstruation. The Torah forbids men from being intimate with women in a state of menstrual impurity (Leviticus […]
Continue Readingby Anonymous I grew up in an observant household, and because of that, going to the mikveh was, in many ways, a given for me. Ever since I was old enough to figure out why my mom would go out for a while each month and come back with wet hair, I just assumed that […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Miriam-Simma Walfish Niddah is the practice of abstaining from sexual intimacy around the time of menstruation. When contemplating the rabbinic laws surrounding menstruation, it can be easy to wonder: Why is there a whole area of Jewish law devoted to the intricacies of determining the beginning and end of women’s menstrual cycles? At times, […]
Continue ReadingOriginally posted in March 2017 by Anonymous As a Jewish woman living a traditional halachic life (governed by Jewish law), I am often faced with questions from myself and others regarding my religious choices. One question that will likely always come up is that of the place of women in halachic Judaism. In modern-day Orthodoxy, […]
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