When a person immerses in a mikveh, s/he does so in as close a state to what s/he was like when he or she was born: no make up, no prosthetics, no jewelry, no clothes. When someone comes to Mayyim Hayyim, that person always has the option of having a guide with him or her. […]
Continue ReadingMy first mikveh experience took place in early Elul. Shabbat was approaching at my first week-long Jewish Renewal retreat at Elat Chayyim, and I decided to join the group which was going to do “spiritual mikveh” in the swimming pool. Rabbi Phyllis Berman explained, beforehand, the ways in which our mikveh would be atypical: we […]
Continue ReadingWhen I had heard that Mayyim Hayyim offered mikveh experiences for elementary schoolers and b’nei/ b’not mitzvah, I must admit I was somewhat surprised, given the traditional associations of mikveh with sexuality. But a recent experience made me change my mind, and even lower the recommended age! I recently had the honor of escorting a […]
Continue ReadingWe were so excited about the new opening of Jerusalem Pita in Brookline. We ventured out of our apartment in Cambridge with our 2.5 year old and 2 week old to taste what everyone was talking about. While the dining experience was nothing to write home about, the real experience of the evening came from […]
Continue ReadingWomen go to the mikveh for many reasons. For most, it is seen as a monthly ritual to purify oneself in living waters, mayyim hayyim, after menstruation and preparation for physical reunification with a spouse. I think many women look at the mikveh as a monthly chore, another appointment to fit in to an already […]
Continue ReadingThe Yahrzeit Candle March 29-30, 1997 It was 7:30 on the night before Easter Sunday, and I was about to light my first Yahrzeit candle. Lev Baesh gave this memorial light to me. Two and one-half years earlier after hearing one rabbi’s spiritual presentation at a hospice training session, another rabbi intimately entered my world. […]
Continue ReadingAs a mikveh guide who volunteers regularly, I see the holidays in a way that I hadn’t before—while I have always known they mark time’s passage, celebrations, and events, when people come to the mikveh to immerse for a holiday, I see how some people carry tradition with them by taking time out of their […]
Continue ReadingInching our way down Commonwealth Ave, all I could think was, “We’re going to be late.” As I pulled into the parking lot just minutes before our scheduled arrival at 2:00 pm, my cell phone rang. One of the other vans had taken a different Washington Street and was still 15 – 20 minutes away. […]
Continue ReadingNot all sex is made equal. Sex is sometimes good and sometimes really good. So how does sex go from good to great? Many couples, guided by a whole genre of literature on the subject, focus on techniques, positions, and props. There is, however, another factor that I believe is incredibly helpful when it comes […]
Continue ReadingI felt like a fraud! Mayyim Hayyim’s mission speaks to me, it speaks loudly and it speaks clearly! So, why had I never immersed? I have had the privilege of serving on the organization’s Board of Directors. I have also taken the training to become a mikveh guide, and find those experiences of being witness […]
Continue ReadingI love the mikveh. I love this mitzvah so much, in fact, that over the last thirteen years I have immersed in many mikvaot around the world. And despite having encountered many mikveh misdemeanors, I continue to return to the “living waters” time and time again. As I reflect on these “misdemeanors,” I don’t include immersing […]
Continue ReadingIn a few weeks, tens of thousands of Jewish kids in North America will pack their bags, say goodbye to their families, and enter the alternate universe of Summer Camp. Campers absorb a great deal of their Jewish education in that universe, a place where many Jewish values take root. I believe that summer camps […]
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