Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit Wall. Learn More ->

Search
Close this search box.

Adult B’nei Mitzvah Mikveh Ritual

woman with long hair underwater

This ritual is designed to take place one week before a group adult B’nei Mitzvah service.

The class participants and rabbi gather outside of a mikveh. The rabbi welcomes participants and explains what will happen.

Rabbi reads: 

By the Water 
Water 
source of life,
medium of redemption,
means to purification,
path to rebirth,
metaphor for learning.
We stand by the water today. 
We reflect on the sacred journey concluding,
And acknowledge the truth:
it is but a beginning.
We feel our strength to travel forward (Rabbi Lisa Greene)
 
Each adult B’nei mitzvah shares a word on commitment as you journey forward.
 
All sing:  
 
EILI, EILI 
Eili Eili shelo yigamer l’olam
Hachol v’hayam rishrush shel hamayim
B’rak hashamayim, tefilat ha’adam
 
O God, my God
I pray that these things never end
The sand & the sea,
the rush of the water
The crash of the heavens, 
the prayer of the heart (Hannah Senesh)
 
Students read together: 
 
At the Water 
I immerse.
At this moment 
at the edge of change
I embrace roots and growth
and spread wings to soar ahead.
Stepping in to the living waters,
I walk forward to new beginnings
that are wholly mine.   (Rabbi Lisa S. Greene)
 
Each participant has a personal immersion with blessings in the mikveh (Blessings from Mayyim Hayyim can be used.)
After everyone immerses, the class & rabbi gathers for rabbi to offer the priestly blessing.

 

 

 

Facebook
Email

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join the Ritualwell community to read and discuss examples of hope expressed in writing through song, story, humor and metaphor that will stir you to think about where hope lives within you.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network