Waters Caressed by the Wings of Hashem

Myriam Simcha Udella, who lives in South Tyrol Italy, recently graduated from The Eden Center’s online mikveh attendant training course. She and her husband are in the process of building a mikveh to serve women in the Northern region of Italy. Together with additions from two other course participants, she explores what was most meaningful to her in the course and how that will impact her work as a balanit.

Attending this course led me to delve deeper into the element of water. Water is not just a physical substance; it is a primordial force, present before creation itself. Chazal teach that water, like the Torah and the Kisei HaKavod (Divine Throne of Glory), pre-existed creation. The world was yet to be formed, yet "Ruach Elokim merahefet al pnei hamayim"—the spirit of God hovered over the waters (Bereshit 1:2). This "hovering," linguistically reminds us of wings. Ruach Elokim hovered like a bird, whose wings touch and do not touch, symbolizing the delicate balance between concealment and revelation, separation and connection. The space between the upper and lower waters was but two or three fingerbreadths, illustrating their closeness and interplay. Hashem then divided the superior waters from the inferior waters, to create space and to permit the earth to emerge and exist.

The “Gathering of Waters (מקוה מים"”( appears in the Chumash as a transformative element in three distinct moments: at the dawn of creation (Bereshit 1:10), when Hashem separated the waters to allow the earth to emerge; in Egypt (Shemot 7:19), when the waters turned to blood, marking the beginning of redemption; and in the laws of purity (Vayikra 11:36), where the mikveh is defined as a source of purification. These three instances highlight water’s role in creation, transformation, and purification.

There is something almost inexplicable about this power of water that originates in the dawn of time, in the miracle of the birth of our planet through God's spoken word. When we enter the mikveh, we come back to this great power and tremendous energy—maybe in order to recreate ourselves—with the hope of getting closer to what we were meant to be.

When a balanit (mikveh attendant) enters the mikveh, she can have the awareness of entering in the world of creation, and the awareness of being nothing next to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. She becomes a silent guardian of an ancient, sacred process. Her role is simple yet profound: she ensures that the tovelet’s body and hair are fully immersed in the water, nothing more. But in that simplicity lies a powerful act of witnessing. She is there to hold space, to ensure that the tovelet feels safe, unhurried, and honored in her experience. She is there just for her.

The tovelet can be religious or not religious; she can feel connection or no connection at all; she can be there because she wants to be, or out of obligation. As a balanit, I do not judge. I do not inquire. I simply know that the mikveh is a gathering of waters that echoes the very formation of the world. The mikveh itself is constructed with two pits of water—one filled with mayim chayim, rainwater that has flowed naturally, and the other containing tap water. These waters meet in a halachically precise, mystically significant way. The rainwater “kisses” the tap water, transforming it into a valid mikveh.

To immerse in the mikveh is to return to primordial waters, to step into a space that is both pre-creation and ever-present. It is to submerge in the infinite embrace of Hashem Himself.

The power of this transformation cannot be overstated. If a mikveh has the capacity to transform a non-Jew into a Jew, how much more so can it elevate a Jewish soul? The waters of the mikveh do not merely purify; they renew, they realign, they return us to the Source.

Over the past few months, I have gained a new appreciation and deeper understanding of the mikveh. Learning about the significance of its water source and the meticulous process of its construction has been both powerful and humbling, revealing how the mikveh serves as a conduit for spiritual connection. This journey has not only given me a fresh perspective but has also deepened my knowledge of its profound importance. The mikveh may appear, at first glance, to be just a simple body of water, yet when one delves deeper, its spirituality emerges—imbuing it with meaning, and a true sense of belonging. The halachot provide the framework, but the experience itself brings depth, transformation, and hope for those who embrace it.

Although what goes between a neshama (soul) and Hashem is only Hashem’s to know, my deepest wish as a balanit is that every tovelet finds her sacred space in the mikveh. Just as Shabbat carves out holiness in time, may the mikveh serve as a sanctuary in space—a moment of connection, renewal, and Divine embrace.

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