Mikvah Cleansing Ritual Immersed in Tradition

Lillian Zelcer, supervisor of the mikvah at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, was booked with appointments:

A woman about to get married. A woman about to be converted. Even a woman about to get divorced. Each time, Zelcer escorted the woman into the mikvah--a small tub of water built into the ground that resembles a Jacuzzi--and helped observe the ancient ritual of spiritual cleansing.

“I’ve had 21 this week,” Zelcer said two weeks ago. “That’s a lot. This is when it’s real busy for mikvahs everywhere.”

Busy because it is the time between Rosh Hashanah, which was observed Monday and Tuesday, and Yom Kippur, to be marked next Wednesday, when Jews celebrate the new and atone for the old. To rid themselves of last year’s transgressions, many Jews--mostly Orthodox--use this time to start a clean slate before God. And one way they cleanse themselves is by immersing themselves in a mikvah.

“The mikvah makes the community,” said Rabbi Aron Tendler, associate rabbi at the Orthodox Shaarey Zedek Congregation in North Hollywood. “It’s a tradition central to all of Jewish life. If I had to move somewhere else, I would ask myself: ‘Is there a day school for my kids? Is there a synagogue? And is there a place for my wife to go to the mikvah?”’

In the San Fernando Valley, there’s only one--the Teichman Mikvah at Shaarey Zedek. Tendler’s wife, Esther, is president of the mikvah. Only women can attend; Orthodox men must go to the mikvahs in Los Angeles.

The different branches of Judaism--Orthodox, Conservative and Reform--differ on the mikvah’s regulations and its relevance today. The Orthodox perceive the mikvah ritual as a direct commandment from God, a vital element of Jewish law. Many Orthodox Jews go before every Sabbath. In fact, some Orthodox Jews--Hasidim--go to the mikvah every day as preparation for observing God’s laws.

Conservative and Reform Jews use the mikvah more as a necessary stage in conversion and as a spiritually uplifting custom.

There is little dispute over the origin of the mikvah. The earliest reference comes in the book of Leviticus, in which God refers to what Aron Tendler calls the “impurity” of a woman going through her menstrual cycle. According to Orthodox law, before she can become clean again, she must wait seven days from the time her cycle is over, and then immerse herself in the mikvah.

For Orthodox Jews, during a woman’s menstrual period and the seven days immediately afterward, she and her spouse are forbidden from any form of physical contact. Sexual relations may resume only when the seven days are over and she has gone to the mikvah. (A couple must abstain for a minimum of 12 days.)

Life Cycle

“That’s what makes the mikvah so unique,” Aron Tendler said. “It has to do with a life cycle that stresses more than gratification. There’s more to our lives than just fulfilling our own needs.”

Women who participate in the mikvah ritual say the custom brings a high level of anticipation and excitement to a marriage.

“It’s very arousing,” said Judy Gruen, 28, of Santa Monica. “It’s a way to definitely keep the spark alive in your marriage. It’s a night that you both look forward to, that you make special plans for.”

Orthodox women maintain a low profile when they go to a mikvah. There is a separate entrance at the North Hollywood facility. Women are allowed only at night, at least 45 minutes after sunset, although the mikvah is usually open at least several hours each night. (Among Reform and Conservative Jews, men and women can attend a mikvah at any time).

“You don’t tell your friends,” said Janis Schiffman, 37, who lives in North Hollywood and is a member of Shaarey Zedek. “You don’t tell anyone. Nobody has to know when you and your husband are going to have sexual relations.”

Many Orthodox Jews believe the enforced physical separation makes the husband and wife concentrate on communication skills.

“It’s a good barometer of your marriage,” Gruen added. “During the time you’re supposed to be apart, if you get into an argument, you don’t have sex as an easy way out. You find out if maybe your communication skills need work. And it helps ensure that a woman is not only going to be used as a sex object.”

Some Orthodox women believe the ritual enhances their status within Judaism.

“Here’s a very important responsibility, and it’s up to women to do it,” Esther Tendler said.

Rabbi Janet Marder, a Reform rabbi who is associate regional director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in Los Angeles, said the mikvah is predominantly used in Reform and Conservative circles as a means for conversion, not as part of the life cycle. (The act of baptism, Marder said, and its “rebirth and spiritual purification in water” came from the mikvah ritual.) The University of Judaism’s Zelcer said 70% of the women using the mikvah do it for conversion purposes.

“We don’t view menstruation as putting a woman into a morally impure state,” Marder said, speaking for the Reform movement.

Conversion is what brought Batya, 32, of Downey, to the University of Judaism’s mikvah one recent afternoon. (Batya is her Hebrew name. She didn’t want to give her real name because her parents don’t know yet of her planned conversion from Catholicism to Judaism.)

Batya said she had always been an observant Catholic, but the religion no longer offered the answers for her growing spirituality.

After immersion in the mikvah, Batya couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I feel like I’m being born again,” she said. “I’ve gone through this course of studying Judaism for nine months, and now I feel like I’m having this baby.”

According to Jewish law, immersion in the mikvah is only a step in the long conversion process. Batya’s formal switch to the Jewish faith will come tomorrow in a public ceremony, when three rabbis officially approve it.

And there are still other reasons Jews go to the mikvah. Many women--and men--go on their wedding day, hoping to begin their new lives together with a clean start. Similarly, some go to symbolize the end of unhappy chapters.

Rebirth for Some

“I signed my divorce papers today,” said a 34-year-old Studio City woman. “It’s sort of a rebirth for me.”

Orthodox Jews, however, don’t approve of such uses for the mikvah. Aron Tendler said that he would have to consult with other rabbis before permitting a woman to use the mikvah when it wasn’t for conversion or to mark the end of her menstrual cycle.

“The mikvah’s value is in how God commanded it to be used in a special way,” Rabbi Tendler said. “There are other ways to express one’s spirituality and growth.”

The rabbi said, though, that he encourages Jews to derive spirituality from the mikvah experience, as long as it’s from the mikvah’s proper use.

Just as they differ on its purpose, Jews adopt separate guidelines for how one should behave in the mikvah. The Orthodox view it as a very private affair, where only the woman and the female attendant may be allowed. On rare occasions, it is permissible to have another woman witness. But among Reform and Conservative Jews, it is not uncommon to have several women enter the mikvah together. They even have parties.

“I had one recently,” Zelcer said, “where they threw chocolate kisses into the mikvah at the bride to symbolize a sweet life. They all had a fun time in there. The mikvah smelled like chocolate for three days.”

There is no disagreement as to how Jews must enter the water--naked and clean. Before entering the mikvah, the man or woman must take a shower, removing any possible interpretation that the mikvah is designed only to physically cleanse oneself. Women must also take off any makeup and jewelry to create the closest and purest contact with the water.

Then, after being immersed in the water, there are several blessings to recite. The attendant is there as a precaution against drowning, and to make sure the proper blessings are offered. Participants are required to immerse themselves only once, but as the custom goes, many Jews do it three times or even more. The whole dunking process can be over in two minutes.

As for the water itself, it should be warm water. The actual structure has to be carefully designed. The mikvah must be built in the ground or a part of the building attached to the ground.

The mikvah should also look as attractive and comfortable as possible. All this serves to reinforce the mikvah as a pleasant, enjoyable experience. The cost, ranging from $10 to $25 for each visit, and $90 for the conversion, is seen as a necessary expense and doesn’t take away any of the fulfillment, according to those who follow the custom.

Growing up in a Conservative Jewish household, Gruen believed the mikvah was an oppressive ritual, that “it was a throwback to the Stone Age.” But as she learned more about its history and significance, she grew to embrace it.

“It’s really a luxury, a beautiful thing,” Gruen said. “The fact that Jews for so many centuries have done it makes it even more special. I feel like one more link in that long chain.”