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The Eden Center’s blog brings women’s voices to the fore discussing mikveh, women’s health, intimacy and more.
We love to raise awareness and present various voices on topics related to The Eden Center mission. Below are an array of blogs on mikveh, sexuality, marriage, women’s health, body image, parenting, and Taharat Hamishpacha.
This blog invites readers to submit their experience with mikveh and the laws of niddah in order to raise awareness to the range of feelings and experiences in the community. The Eden Center does not endorse positions stated in blogs, but allows authors’ voices to be heard on this platform. For blogs dealing with halakhic topics, we encourage each person to consult their own halakhic authority for clarification.
We value your feedback and submissions.
Stand Up and Count
By: Karen Miller Jackson As we approach Shavuot, we end the period of Sefirat HaOmer, the formal counting of the days from Pesach to Shavuot. The Torah source for Sefirat HaOmer is found in Parshat Emor וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת מיום הביאכם את עמר התנופה שבע שבתות [...]
Updating Your Carrier Screening
By: Estie Rose Sitting around my friends’ Shabbat tables and meeting new people, the conversation inevitably goes to “do you work outside the home?” When I tell people that I am a genetic counselor for JScreen, I almost always get to learn about their carrier screening history. I [...]
Wedding Night Worries
By: Dr. Elissa Helman Every woman looks forward to her wedding. The dress, the hair, the makeup, the pictures, the fun, the friends, the experience. We have been conditioned since we were little girls to feel pretty and hopeful and excited on that special day of ours. But [...]
Embodied Redemption
In the beginning of Sefer Shmot, we are witness to the steep decline of the Jewish people into slavery. One of the lowest points, the darkest and most hopeless moments in this story, is the point when Pharoah decrees that all male, Jewish babies be thrown into the [...]
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and its Manifestation in the Observance of Family Purity
This blog is based on an article that will appear in a forthcoming book by Rabbi Pinchas Cohen, A Practical Guide to the Laws of Family Purity What is OCD? Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects about 1-3% of adults and is considered one [...]
A Gentle Reminder
I am a fairly busy person. I am a busy woman and I can sometimes be a harried mother. I know that there are people busier than I am, and I know that different people cope with their lives and their stressors in different ways. Me? I don’t [...]
Not Your Typical Tovelet
"I need to tovel (immerse) tonight, how do I make an appointment?" That was a very innocent question. "I'm here," I replied. "Just let me know when you'll come." “I think I'll make it by 8", replied the tovelet. Great. An hour later I got a message: “I [...]
Mikveh After Loss
That lady at the mikveh…She caught my eye and I just stood there staring. The person staring back at me looked so familiar and yet I couldn’t place her. The mikveh is a funny place. On the one hand it is supposed to be the most private place; [...]
Navigating Niddah as a Couple
Early on while dating my now husband, I was dealing with a difficult personal situation. When I was talking it through with him, he listened intently, paused thoughtfully, and then replied earnestly, “I can’t make your pain disappear, but I carry the burden with you and you are [...]
I Don’t Like Going to the Mikveh
I think I’ve said it before, but I don’t like going to the mikveh. There are many issues that keep me from liking this sacred mitzvah. Body issues, weather issues, stress issues, sneaking away from my children issues, coming back to my children issues. If I’m having issues [...]
“Don’t say this” Mikveh Attendant Edition
Most people want to say the right thing in a difficult situation. However, often, what one thinks is the right thing, can cause unintended pain to the person to whom it is said. So, knowing in advance what can hurt someone, is the best way to avoid it. [...]
When a name is so much more than just a name
January 5, 2022, I awoke to a myriad of WhatsApp messages with links to several articles announcing the long awaited and much celebrated “official name change.” The Hebrew papers proudly declared that as of that morning, the term Krum Betullim -loosely translated as “virginal membrane”, will now be [...]