by Katherine Trakhtenbroit I hail from a land currently crisped by drought. There are great stretches of live oak trees and loblolly pines along the bayou; when I was small they were thick with glossy leaves and pungent needles. Now, it’s all orange and brown and parched. So, down there, we know deeply the transformative […]
Continue ReadingBy Nina Cecily Stewart, Mayyim Hayyim Administrative Assistant I first realized I loved Mayyim Hayyim when, after my first week on the job, I called my dad and spent five minutes waxing rhapsodic about calling mikveh guides, scheduling appointments, and printing immersion forms. When I finally noticed the silence on the other end of the […]
Continue ReadingBy Rachel Renz, Mayyim Hayyim Intern Water is a motif found throughout Tanach (the Bible), and its placement in the Torah can provide insight into its placement in Jewish practice. Where does water appear in the Bible? Its placement is varied. Looking at a few salient instances in the narratives of Noach, Eliezer and Rivka, and […]
Continue ReadingBy Allison Poirier, Mayyim Hayyim Intern I started working at Mayyim Hayyim just two weeks ago. I am enjoying myself so much, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to work in such a warm and caring environment with such enthusiastic people. They’re awfully clever people too, and they decided that one of my […]
Continue ReadingBy Jody Comins, Development and Events Coordinator “May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.” “On the eve of your Bat Mitzvah, I hope that you will continue to grow and learn with all the wonderful attributes that you have already attained.” And so the blessings continued as each of the girls and […]
Continue Readingby Aliza Kline, Mayyim Hayyim Founding Executive Director In my few remaining weeks in Israel (just under four at my last count), I am busier than ever supporting burgeoning community mikvaot in Israel. Last week I spent a day at Mikveh Sh’maya, the “spiritual, educational and ritual” mikveh directed by Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner David […]
Continue Reading“Before” by Lisa Berman Mayyim Hayyim has been open for eight years now. We’re officially not a “baby” organization anymore. We don’t even feel like a start-up any longer; we have confidence and things run pretty smoothly, if we do say so ourselves. Just as kids have a big new world opened up to them […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Aliza Kline, Founding Executive Director of Mayyim Hayyim It’s hard to believe—but I am now beginning the last nine weeks of this extraordinary 10-month sabbatical in Israel. Pesach is vacation time for every Israeli family with school-age children. Each day of the holiday, all five of us (my husband Bradley, and our daughters […]
Continue ReadingBy Judi and Maya Goldberg My five-year old daughter, Maya, and I met “Mikveh Lisa” (Lisa Berman, Mayyim Hayyim Education Center Director) at Temple Shalom. We participated in our first immersion at Mayyim Hayyim about six months ago. Maya and I both love going to the mikveh, but for very different reasons. I love going […]
Continue ReadingWritten By Aliza Kline, Founding Executive Director of Mayyim Hayyim About 10 days ago I had the opportunity to teach about Mayyim Hayyim to first-year students at the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College. I love teaching seminary students; they are eager to learn and find connections between their personal spiritual journey and Jewish practice. […]
Continue ReadingWhen I had heard that Mayyim Hayyim offered mikveh experiences for elementary schoolers and b’nei/ b’not mitzvah, I must admit I was somewhat surprised, given the traditional associations of mikveh with sexuality. But a recent experience made me change my mind, and even lower the recommended age! I recently had the honor of escorting a […]
Continue ReadingWomen go to the mikveh for many reasons. For most, it is seen as a monthly ritual to purify oneself in living waters, mayyim hayyim, after menstruation and preparation for physical reunification with a spouse. I think many women look at the mikveh as a monthly chore, another appointment to fit in to an already […]
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