Diary 4
Diary 4 - Mikveh magic and the perennial problem of contact lenses.
As far as I recall the first time I ever heard the word was in a song at the educational conference, Limmud. ‘Messing about about in a mikveh’ was sung by a hip rabbi wielding a folk guitar and, after discovering from the context what a mikveh
actually was, little did I dream that one day I would experience a Jewish ritual bath. After all wasn't that just for ladies (or so I though at the time).
The Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the four letter word for God, which we pronounce as Adonai in prayer and if written must not be erased or thrown away and for the scribe writing God’s holy name there must be a higher spiritual level and the way that this is achieved is through the custom of immersion in the mikveh prior to writing Hashem (The Name). Indeed God’s other holy names are treated similarly.
The Tetragrammaton appears no less that 7 times in the Sh'ma and if one was to take this literally then:
a) this would be quite expensive
b) the Manor House staff (where I used a mikveh for the first time) would probably have been less than happy with me and
c) I would have got seriously wrinkled (think about what your fingers look like after a long bath).
Actually one need only go once before commecing writing for the day and indeed it was originally only a minhag (custom) for the zealous scribes to do this - but had become normal practice. For Sifrey Torah, Vivian explained that the old scribal 'trick' (though not available for m'zuzah or t'fillin as it would not be will not be written k'sidran (in the correct order)) is to save up all your Hashems, visit the mikveh and then write them all at once maintaining the correct degree of kavanah (concentration).
The waters in the mikveh are "living waters", which must come directly from natural sources, rain water or springs. The construction of a mikveh is quite complex (and way to complex to go into here but you can learn more here. Suffice it to say, it's not just a swimming pool! For those of you familiar with conversion process, you will know that visiting a mikveh entails total bodily immersion with nothing that could act as a barrier in the way. For many Jews, however, the mikveh is not a part of their ritual life and it is entirely unfamiliar.
The Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the four letter word for God, which we pronounce as Adonai in prayer and if written must not be erased or thrown away and for the scribe writing God’s holy name there must be a higher spiritual level and the way that this is achieved is through the custom of immersion in the mikveh prior to writing Hashem (The Name). Indeed God’s other holy names are treated similarly.
The Tetragrammaton appears no less that 7 times in the Sh'ma and if one was to take this literally then:
a) this would be quite expensive
b) the Manor House staff (where I used a mikveh for the first time) would probably have been less than happy with me and
c) I would have got seriously wrinkled (think about what your fingers look like after a long bath).
Actually one need only go once before commecing writing for the day and indeed it was originally only a minhag (custom) for the zealous scribes to do this - but had become normal practice. For Sifrey Torah, Vivian explained that the old scribal 'trick' (though not available for m'zuzah or t'fillin as it would not be will not be written k'sidran (in the correct order)) is to save up all your Hashems, visit the mikveh and then write them all at once maintaining the correct degree of kavanah (concentration).
The waters in the mikveh are "living waters", which must come directly from natural sources, rain water or springs. The construction of a mikveh is quite complex (and way to complex to go into here but you can learn more here. Suffice it to say, it's not just a swimming pool! For those of you familiar with conversion process, you will know that visiting a mikveh entails total bodily immersion with nothing that could act as a barrier in the way. For many Jews, however, the mikveh is not a part of their ritual life and it is entirely unfamiliar.
Above: A
mikvehI have patronised on various occasions. Photo © Mordechai Pinchas.
I booked a session and went along. Normally a convert would be accompanied by Rabbis who wait outside but I was on my own, so I had to do some homework before going about how it all worked and what it all was about. What surprised me most was how small it was. Ruins of ritual baths that I had seen at Massada and a CD-ROM of a 3-D journey through the Temple had suggested that these things were big. Reality was different, but then again how big did it have to be - just big enough to submerge myself completely.
My other problem was seriously halachic. Did contact lenses represent a prohibited barrier? (which indeed they are). I don’t open my eyes under water, but without lenses or glasses I generally feel helpless in any body of water. Bravery provided the correct halachic response and I went into the mikveh sans corrected vision.
One submerges, re-emerges, recites the blessing and then re-submerges again. I’m not good underwater and with water streaming from my hair and nose and bad eyesight, I’m just glad that the b’rachah is short!
Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us by your commandmentsand commanded us about the immersion.
I booked a session and went along. Normally a convert would be accompanied by Rabbis who wait outside but I was on my own, so I had to do some homework before going about how it all worked and what it all was about. What surprised me most was how small it was. Ruins of ritual baths that I had seen at Massada and a CD-ROM of a 3-D journey through the Temple had suggested that these things were big. Reality was different, but then again how big did it have to be - just big enough to submerge myself completely.
My other problem was seriously halachic. Did contact lenses represent a prohibited barrier? (which indeed they are). I don’t open my eyes under water, but without lenses or glasses I generally feel helpless in any body of water. Bravery provided the correct halachic response and I went into the mikveh sans corrected vision.
One submerges, re-emerges, recites the blessing and then re-submerges again. I’m not good underwater and with water streaming from my hair and nose and bad eyesight, I’m just glad that the b’rachah is short!
Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us by your commandmentsand commanded us about the immersion.
Right: The sign at this
mikveh - bring your own towel (after all Douglas Adams says its the most useful thing in the universe and you should always know where your towel is anyway). Use at your own risk! Photo © Mordechai Pinchas.
After dressing I left for home to write the m'zuzah, but not without making history by being the first mikveh user at that particular establishment to ask for receipt! Being is a sofer is a trade and the mikveh is a legitimate business expense - my tax records were starting to look very weird indeed! They got weirder over the years.
Mordechai Pinchas
After dressing I left for home to write the m'zuzah, but not without making history by being the first mikveh user at that particular establishment to ask for receipt! Being is a sofer is a trade and the mikveh is a legitimate business expense - my tax records were starting to look very weird indeed! They got weirder over the years.
Mordechai Pinchas
