Exploring Mitzvot through Poetry: A Deep Dive into Mikveh, Challah, and Candle-Lighting.

 

Among the 613 mitzvot (commandments) derived from the Hebrew Bible and observed through centuries of study and practice, three specific mitzvot have traditionally been assigned to women: lighting Shabbat candles, baking challah, and observing mikveh for family purity laws. These commandments prompt many questions regarding their relevance for us today, including:

 

Join Rachel Neve-Midbar to delve into these inquiries during a thought-provoking Ritualwell Immersion. Discover your connection to these powerful mitzvot through the exploration of ancient and modern poetry. Create your own poems inspired by our reading, discussions and personal reflection.

 

 

Rachel Neve-Midbar is a poet and essayist. Her first full-length poetry collection, Salaam of Birds, was chosen by Dorothy Barresi for the Patricia Bibby First Book Prize and was published by Tebot Bach in January 2020. She is also the author of the 2014 chapbook, What the Light Reveals. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies. A current Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California, Rachel is also editor of Stained: An Anthology of Writing about Menstruation for the AuntFlo2020 Project. More at rachelnevemidbar.com.