Winter Blessing

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by Sara Epstein At 10 am, I arrived first at the mikveh Mayyim Hayyim in Newton.  I rang the bell and was greeted warmly by Amy, my guide.  She showed me around the building while we awaited the arrival of three friends who would be coming to witness my ritual cleansing immersion in the Living Waters […]

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Wash My Scars

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by Rabbi Emily Aviva Kapor to my friends, guides, and colleagues of the Mayyim Ḥayyim Community Mikveh of Newton, Massachusetts uncertain feet descend stone steps downward into the water, down into the water they tell me is warm and healing. let every part of my body touch the water; let there be no barrier between […]

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LGBTQ+

Safe, Seen and Sanctified

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by Ari Lev Fornari  One of my favorite facts about a mikveh is that the water cannot mekabel tumah, it cannot become ritually impure. Which is to say, it can’t be tainted or contaminated. Not even by a pig, the living embodiment of ritual impurity. When I first learned this concept, I remember releasing a sigh […]

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An Important Connection

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By Ron and Brian Olshansky-Lucero Mayyim Hayyim has been an important part of our lives for the last two years. Our connection to Mayyim Hayyim began with Ron’s beit din and immersion for his conversion. We were very blessed that Ron’s sponsoring rabbi knew about Mayyim Hayyim and that he chose this special place for […]

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Guest Post: A Mikveh for Everybody

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Andrea Jacobs, Director of Education for Keshet, shares her thoughts on inclusive mikveh usage in her guest post. Andrea will be co-facilitating a panel on inclusion at our Gathering the Waters International Mikveh Conference. By traditional standards, I’m an unusual mikveh user. As a single woman and a liberal Jew, there are no halakhic imperatives […]

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