Mikveh Guides transform the ordinary into the holy. Seven Steps is the essential online course for training the Mikveh Guide of today and tomorrow. Drawing from rabbinic sources, current psychology and the experiences of contemporary mikveh attendants, this 8-week training offers the knowledge and skills to facilitate immersions with dignity, respect, and modesty. Learn best practices for making guests feel welcomed, safe, and supported, and gain skills for becoming a mikveh ambassador in your local community.
Being a Mikveh Guide means showing up for another person as they mark a meaningful transition in life, guiding them through an ancient Jewish ritual reimagined for modern use. As a Mikveh Guide, you are a witness to profound moments of healing and celebration. You are helping to create a sacred space where the full diversity of the Jewish people can find meaning, comfort and spirituality. Mikveh Guides help make mikveh accessible to Jews of all denominations, ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities.
Registration for the Summer 2023 cohort is now closed. The next global cohort of Seven Steps: Online Mikveh Guide Training will be held in early 2024.
Sign up for our e-newsletter here for updates
Seven Steps is a virtual course. You may participate no matter where you live, anywhere around the world. Seven Steps includes live and asynchronous sessions. In addition to live sessions, the learning takes place over an online platform where participants engage with a variety of modalities including video, articles, interactive discussions, and text study.
What will you learn in this course?
- Biblical and Talmudic sources for mikveh
- Laws and practices of traditional mikveh use
- Newer uses for mikveh, including healing, celebrations, life transitions
- How to welcome guests and witness immersions with sensitivity
This course will provide an in-depth exploration of best practices that can be applied in any mikveh community. For a full course overview click here.
**We will support you in connecting with a local Rising Tide mikveh to serve as a Mikveh Guide. If there is not a Rising Tide mikveh in your community, we will support you in guiding independently and/or creating a new local mikveh.
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Course Calendar
This section will be updated with dates closer to the beginning of the early 2024 cohort.
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What will you learn in this course?
- Biblical and Talmudic sources for mikveh
- Laws and practices of traditional mikveh use
- Newer uses for mikveh, including healing, celebrations, life transitions
- How to welcome guests and witness immersions with sensitivity
This training is open to all—from ritual novice to mikveh pro—no prior knowledge necessary. We welcome people with all types of experiences and backgrounds
This course will provide an in-depth exploration of best practices that can be applied in any mikveh community. For a full course overview click here.
Please check with your local Rising Tide mikveh about becoming a Mikveh Guide in your community. If there is not a local Rising Tide mikveh in your community or you’re otherwise interested, we will support you in facilitating mikveh immersions in natural bodies of water, homes, etc., and/or establishing a new open mikveh in your community.
Registration is offered on several sliding scales from $36 – $450.
Sign up for our e-newsletter here for updates
Frequently asked questions:
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Why should we have trained Mikveh Guides at our community mikveh?
Mikveh Guides are critical to creating a community mikveh that is prepared to serve the full diversity of Jewish people. Participants who complete this course are knowledgeable about both traditional and new reasons for ritual immersion and are equipped with the most up-to-date information for providing a welcoming, respectful immersion experience for your guests. This online training was developed using the in-person curriculum created by Mayyim Hayyim in 2003 and used to train over 200 guides in the Boston area. This updated training has been adapted to be used in communities all over the world and is informed by the needs of our Rising Tide members.
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Why do people immerse?
Water plays a major role in the sacred narrative of the Jewish people. From Jacob meeting Rachel at the well, to the parting of the Red Sea and the transformation of the Hebrews from a tribe of slaves to free people, water signifies change, renewal and transition.
Historically, Jews have immersed for conversion, weddings and niddah, and have elected to immerse at other times as well, such as in preparation for Shabbat and during the ninth month of pregnancy. Today, Jews immerse for a variety of reasons, such as: to celebrate milestone events like bar and bat mitzvah, graduation, or significant birthdays and anniversaries; to signify a new start in the aftermath of pain and trauma; to mark the end of a period bereavement, to heal after miscarriage, chemotherapy, or assault.
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What is a mikveh?
A mikveh is a gathering of water used for ritual immersions, by Jews, to mark moments of personal transition, and for those converting to Judaism. The ritual of immersion in a mikveh is one of Judaism’s oldest practices and provides space for healing, transformation and rejuvenation.
