To the uninitiated, a modern-day mikvah looks like a miniature swimming pool. Against the backdrop of the ancient Temple or even modern-day synagogues, the mikvah is surprisingly nondescript, a humble structure.
Its ordinary appearance, however, belies its primary place in Jewish life and law. The mikvah offers the individual, the community and the nation of Israel the remarkable gift of purity and holiness.
In her introduction to “Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology,” Rivkah Slonim gives an overview of the laws of family purity and of the act of immersion in the mikvah, or ritual bath.
According to Jewish law, from the onset of menstruation until seven days following its end when a woman immerses in the mikvah, a married couple may not have sexual relations. In the process, they may also curb direct physical contact.
Immersion in the mikvah occurs after nightfall on the seventh “clear” day, following a strict cleaning regimen. A female attendant witnesses the immersion and assists as necessary.
“Total Immersion” offers the reader 47 essays on various topics related to the mikvah. The book is also divided into three parts: “In Theory and Practice,” “Voices” and “Memories and Tales.”
With numerous viewpoints on mikvah use, the book addresses such topics as the young bride going to the mikvah for the first time, and the menopausal woman who discovers the mikvah as her cycles are decreasing.
It includes a number of poignant stories, including one about an infertile woman for whom the mikvah becomes a lifeline and another of an Israeli woman who immerses herself in a mikvah during the Persian Gulf War amid the falling scud missiles.
In an essay titled “Renewal,” Pamela Steinberg writes, “Although I like to concentrate on the spiritual aspects of the ritual, the mikvah also provides a powerful way to get in touch with yourself as a woman, to sanctify your body’s cycle, as a human being who’s part of a universe that has its own cycles.”
The well-thought-out collection of essays will make one laugh, cry and think.