Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd
Transcription
Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd
Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 1 Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 2 Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 3 Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 4 Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 A 7:25 PM Page 5 ccording to Torah, true love between a husband and wife is more than the sum of its parts. True love requires strength, forgiveness and a willingness to share. True love is about reaching out, becoming one with another, and returning to one's self, touched and reborn. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 6 These are the timeless Jewish wedding-day blessings bestowed on the bride and groom. According to Jewish tradition when we allow the natural rhythms of our bodies to be our guide, the blessings of our wedding day are renewed each month. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 O 7:25 PM Page 7 ur ancient wisdom counsels an awareness of the variations in a woman's monthly cycle. A period is an elemental sign that signals a time for focus on self, space and separation. When it is time to return to physical togetherness, a woman immerses in a mikvah, a ritual immersion pool. This marks the transition into the joys of intimacy. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 8 "When my husband and I are apart, before I have immersed, I actually notice the feeling of joy and excitement building. It is hard not to think about the approaching days of togetherness. I feel at once protected and in control." Rachel F. "Preparing to go to the mikvah is a time set apart from every distraction so I can focus on elevating my whole self–body, mind and emotions. It's a chance for me to be calm and ordered, while experiencing the growing anticipation." Lisa S. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 P 7:25 PM Page 9 ure air. Pure water. Physical purity is key to the health of our bodies. Spiritual purity is key to the health of our souls. This is a state of being that our tradition says can be attained by every married Jewish woman, no matter her age. A natural body of water such as the ocean, or the rainwater that is collected in a mikvah, are the means by which spirit is transformed and becomes pure. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd A 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 10 s we submerge in the clear mikvah waters, we are suspended in time and space, between past and future. Reborn, we surface… Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 11 "…the mikvah also provides a powerful way to get in touch with yourself as a woman, to sanctify your body's cycle, as a human being who's part of a universe that has its own cycles. Just as we can celebrate the waxing and the waning of the moon, we can celebrate our bodies, not degrade them". Pamela Steinberg, Renewal, taken from Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology by Rivkah Slonim Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd E 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 12 xperiencing the flow of the ritual of mikvah connects us with an essential part of who we are: the private, inner self; the spark of divine within. Ultimately, by imbuing our modern lives with our ancient traditions, we strengthen the connection to our life source, God. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 U 7:25 PM Page 13 nderneath the buzz of our active lives, there's a sweet space where our hearts live. We each have the ability to reclaim this beauty and joy through our Jewish legacy of mikvah. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Mikvah Mei Menachem in Ormond Beach, Florida Page 14 Photo: Courtesy of Mikvah.org Just one of many state-of-the-art Mikvahs in communities throughout the United States and around the world. Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 15 Resource Guide To learn more about mikvah, or to schedule a visit to one, contact your Orthodox synagogue, local mikvah or outreach organization. Reading suggestions: Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology by Rivkah Slonim i The Secret of Jewish Femininity by Tehilla Abramov i Waters of Eden by Aryeh Kaplan On the Web: To explore the sacred observance of Mikvah, or to find the mikvah nearest you, log on to the Mikvah Directory at Mikvah.org. Discover the guidelines for using a mikvah at Yoatzot.com. i For information about building a Mikvah in your town contact Mikvah USA at 718-437-PURE (7873) or [email protected]. Concept and Text by C.R. Zwolinski Design: Viktoriya Tselnik Project Consultant: Rivkah Slonim Ancient Springs; Modern Lives is a Mikvah USA publication Mikvah Booklet 3 last changes.qxd 2/13/1950 7:25 PM Page 16 MIKVAH USA 1461 42nd Street Brooklyn, New York 11219 718-437-PURE (7873) [email protected]