אני קושית יפה/I’m a Cute Black Girl Pg 35

Last night in Jewish Studies we had a class with the new Rabbi in our Shul. She was a Student Rabbi up until last week, she graduated last week.

She started off the lesson by asking each of us what we think about when we picture water.

Everyone basically swam around similar descriptions and feelings brought on about water…

      

    

 

The Rabbi then went on to talk about the Mikvah. How it is looked at and how it was once disregarded and done away with. Something that I didn’t know that the Mikvah has to be done in Natural Water…well the water should have some natural water in it.

Something I did know was the the Orthodox world do not recognize the reformed Shul. So even though there are Orthodox Mikvahs, members of any Reformed Shul and none Jews cannot go there. In the past they have performed the Mikvah Ceremony in various locations, hired pools, seas etc.

While the Rabbi spoke she mentioned a few things which sparked my interest.

1. There is a Jewish Journalist who has written 3 different Personal Opinions about the Mikveh.

• in the first one she is very Pro it
• in the 2nd she was against it
• and the 3rd one she is busy writing about how she is now pro it.

 – but I have no right to judge, often my mind is all over the place!

So I am curious about reading them one day.

2. You are to be naked.

• I didn’t know this and not sure about how I feel about being naked in a large group of people. (well apparently we will do this individually with our chosen Rabbi)

Closer to the end of our course we will be each having our Mikveh.

Growing up I have always know about the Mikveh. Each of my Jewish Sisters had theirs before their weddings. Deep down inside I was a lil envious knowing that I wasn’t Jewish and so I wouldn’t get to perform this ritual for my husband before we married.

The Mikveh is more than just a ceremony to cleanse oneself before marriage, many Jews go to the Mikveh after recovering from an illness, before a Jewish Holiday, Before Shabbat, After their Menstrual Cycle, After Converting to Judaism, before reading from the Torah etc.

The Rabbi ended off the lesson by telling us that, when she went and goes to Mikvah she prefers to go into the Body of Water naked, but times have changed and they are open to discussing ways for one to perform their Mikveh in a way they feel comfortable. ,   and however else they will feel comfortable.

Not sure what I will do just yet, thankfully I have time still to decide…