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COMMENTARY
BY CANTOR ARLENE BERNSTEIN
MAY 2007
Mikvah: A Renewal of Body – A Renewal of Spirit
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Photo by
Chris Gaines |
I have seen it over and Over again: a person Enters a mikvah in one Way and they emerge From the mikvah Changed...some part Of the old is washed Away and the new is Elevated in holiness.
As the holiday of Shavuot approaches, I am reminded of the Book of Ruth, which will be beautifully chanted by members of our Confirmation Class. The Biblical Ruth is the first mention of "conversion" to Judaism. Ruth, the Moabitess, follows her mother-in-law, Naomi and with the famous words "…your people shall be my people and your God, my God…" affirms her choice for her life as a Jew.
Mikvah is part of the modern day conversion process, in addition to study, Jewish practice and the sharing one’s journey to Judaism, as well as discussing Jewish customs, holidays and law with a Beit Din (tribunal). Mikvah is the ritual bath, the use of natural waters, in which those who choose Judaism immerse themselves, symbolic of a rebirth, a change of status to become a Jew. Most religions use water, in some form for religious purity and spirituality. Judaism has used this ritual for thousands of years.
For me, the use of the ritual bath has added depth – it is something that has the opportunity to make a spiritual difference in the life of every Jew who may choose to avail themselves of this ritual. I would like to share with you my own thoughts and experience of this extraordinary ritual in Jewish life:
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Excited, nervous, joyful and introspective – these are my feelings as I enter the mikvah prior to our Rabbinic Ordination/Cantorial Investiture in May of 1993. The mikvah lady is excited for me and is thrilled that I am going to become a cantor. "You know," she says, "my brother is a great violinist." I am immediately put at ease by her bright smile, her European accent–she sounds like my bubbie (grandmother)–and her reassurance that this will be a great moment. She asks if I’ve showered; she checks my fingernails and cups my face in her hands after checking for earrings and other jewelry. "Take another shower and I’ll meet you in the mikvah!" As I approach the mikvah, I am keenly aware about my choice to use the Jewish ritual bath at this important juncture in my life. I had always thought that I would use the mikvah as a ritual before marriage, as I was originally taught. After careful consideration, I concluded that for me, mikvah would add holiness to my choice to be a cantor for the Jewish people.
I hesitantly enter the room of the mikvah itself.
I walk down seven steps – the water is exquisitely soft, warm and sparkling
clean. The mikvah lady reminds me of my obligations
to immerse myself and pray afterward. First I practice-it’s not as easy as I
thought to make sure I am surrounded completely by water–but it is an ethereal
feeling–something almost unexplainable. We open the channel so that the living
waters can flow into the mikvah – and
I begin to cry, so overwhelmed with the knowledge that for thousands of years,
Jews have used the mikvah. "No problem," her
accent so thick and full of memory, "a little salt wouldn’t hurt the water."
I immerse and I pray. The feeling is overwhelming – I am enveloped by mayim
chayim – living waters. As I finish, a wash of emotions swirl around me.
I have connected mystically with my ancestors, I have, in a sense, cleansed myself
to receive my new responsibilities – I have changed. The feeling stays
with me for hours and even days. I have only to close my eyes and I can recall
the enveloping warmth of the waters and the emotions that surrounded my prayers.
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It is with this personal experience that I have brought many women (and only women, as of this writing) to the mikvah. The reasons and places have been varied. I have gone to the ocean and the bay with brides and converts (lakes and rivers also provide a "kosher mikvah"). I have brought to the mikvaot in Manhattan and at the University of Judaism, many women who have chosen Judaism; a divorcee; a rape victim and a seventy year old
woman, who, following in the tradition of having lived a full life, wanted to begin her "second" life, as it were with a new sense of holiness and freedom. However, mikvah is not only for women, it is for men as well and it is an equally powerful ritual.
The preparation for the mikvah is exciting and filled with anticipation. We study together its history and purpose. As we talk about the reason for this ritual, we speak about the effects of change on ourselves and upon our family and friends as well as about expectations. We practice the prayers together and we look for appropriate readings or we write our own Iyyunim (special writings) to mark this extraordinary moment.
But nothing equates with the fulfillment of the mitzvah itself. I have seen it
over and over again: a person enters a mikvah in
one way and they emerge from the mikvah changed
and enhanced – imbued with a new spirit. Some part of the old is washed
away and the new is elevated in holiness.
Would that it could be our Reform custom to have mikvah easily available to more people and perhaps to encourage its use before Shabbat and before the High Holy Days (this High Holiday preparation is a personal practice), our sense of kedushah (holiness) might be enhanced.
The physical act of changing one’s status, religious identity or one’s spiritual
longing through this water ritual provides us with a powerful new way to see
our future paths and our connection with our past: a renewal of body – a
renewal of spirit.
Cantor Arlene Bernstein
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