Mikveh

A Place for Me to be Reborn

It didn’t matter that it was hard or that my husband wouldn’t be awake or care at all. It didn’t matter that the past few years had been so hard I felt a massive wall between me and God……. because at that moment, he cracked the wall and was allowing me in. I got ready for the mikveh, b’simcha. Wanting to reconnect. Wanting to cleanse. Wanting to get rid of the impurities in my life and be born anew, ready to face the world in a clear and true way with Hashem and my husband beside me.

Waterline

My body tells the story of my life. I carry with me the marks of bruises and bumps, of accidents [...]

The Invisible Connection

מורות ליוגה נשית על פי מירה ארצי פדן” Women who are fortunate enough to receive their period naturally [...]

That One Time I Loved Niddah

I’m torn between mourning for a missed opportunity, the relief of a brand new beginning, and the celebration I used to feel at the end of niddah, before the infertility monster reared its ugly head.

Near Sighted at the Mikveh

It’s the little things that sometimes jump out to make me realize that I don’t see quite as well as others. A few times I have asked the mikveh lady why they don’t have the bracha printed on the wall, and laughed when she said, “it’s right there on the wall.” I know that etched glass and silver with white are “in,” but in all honesty, I can’t see them. And while I laugh, printing the words a contrasting color would make it so much easier for me, and I’m sure many others.   The less I need to ask for help, for me the better.  

Harchakot are Hard

‘The harchakot are hard’.This is true. However, complete the thought: : ‘The fact that this is hard means I deeply  love my spouse, and I am grateful for that awareness,’ or ‘I am going to use this opportunity to show love in new and creative ways, maybe in conversation or through a small act of love that only my spouse will understand,’ or ‘This separation is a way for me to care for myself, a Shabbat for my body that reminds me to practice self-care and that rejuvenates me to give with a full heart’?

The Sound of Water

Practical take-aways for mikveh attendants: 1-There's a lot of anxiety for a woman who can't hear all the things that happen around her. Make sure she knows that you're there with her and you'll be patient. 2- Make a thumbs up to let her know her immersion was complete.  Or wait to say “kosher” until she's completely out of the water and has turned around to face you to see your lips and hands.  Perhaps hold up a sign that says kasher.  Best if this worked out before she removes her hearing aides. 3- Have the bracha and the יהי רצון on the wall or printed on a laminated paper. Having to repeat after the balanit is difficult and disempowering. 4- When designing a mikveh, see if it's practical to put in a call button with a light so that the deaf person can know when she's being called to come out. 5- The deaf tovelet is/may be depending on you for the cues of how to proceed.  Make sure you're clear and direct her not only with words but also with signs/motioning/body language.  If you are speaking to her make sure she can see your lips.  Especially because she is usually equipped with hearing devices, she is not a pro at reading other cues so help her as best as you can.

The Lump at the Lake

There are debates as to whether women should check for breast cancer when they are preparing for the mikveh. My story is one of those that proves to me how consciously feeling/checking over one’s breasts during “iyun” can save lives.  Might I have found it without iyun -- yes, but it’s likely that it would have been months later and more dangerous. While I could have found another way to routinely check my breasts, it’s unlikely that I would have.  Though I will never immerse in that lake without negative flashbacks, I bless my dark night at the lake and thank God that I was able to inspect my body to keep it healthy. 

To Touch the Darkness

The Eden Center is focusing its work this year on ‘Immersion in Inclusion’; educating and sensitizing mikveh attendants and the [...]

Riling Up Emotions

As a young girl learning about menstruation for the first time, my favorite book on the subject featured a double-page [...]

Coming Back to the Mikveh

When my husband and I felt our family was complete I chose a birth control that would accommodate that decision. [...]

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