I wrote this mikvehThe ritual bath. The waters of the mikveh symbolically purify – they are seen as waters of rebirth. A convert immerses in the mikveh as part of conversion. Many Orthodox married women go to the mikveh following their period and before resuming sexual relations. Couples go to the mikveh before being married. Many, including some men, immerse before Yom Kippur; some go every Friday before Shabbat. ritual to mark the end of a difficult chapter in my life. I wanted to create a spiritual experience to honor all the growth, change, and insight that emerged from that difficult process. May it be a source of blessing for you to use in moments of change in your own life. Â
Opening song:
May I Be Empty by Batya Levine
May I be empty, and open to receive the light, may I empty, and open to receive.
May I be full and open to receive the light, may I be full, and open to receive.
KavannahLit. Intention Refers both to one’s intention when performing a mitzvah or when focusing for prayer. Kavanah also refers to specific readings to help focus one's attention prior to performing an act. for this moment:
Release, open up, give and receive love for being alive, and for the Divine.
First immersion:
Release. Releasing all the habits, patterns, obsessions, behaviors, beliefs, delusions, desires that have involved codependence with other people. Releasing the pain and suffering of the past so that I can live with more clarity, serenity, compassion, strength, and peace.
Berukhah At ShekhinaThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine., ruakhLit. Spirit. Some new versions of blessings call God "Spirit of the World" (Ruakh Ha’olam), rather than "King of the World" (Melekh Ha'olam). ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivatnu al tevilahThe act of immersion in the ritual bath (mikveh)..Â
Blessed is the Divine in-dwelling Presence, the breath that infuses the world, for the mitzvahLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed." of immersion.
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Second immersion:
Opening up to the present moment. Shehekhiyanu for the present moment: honoring who I am becoming. Honoring the boundaries I set. Honoring freedom from suffering that emerges from letting go of the past and embracing the present moment of transition and change.
Berukhah At Shekhina, ruakh ha’olam, shehekhiyanu v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’zman hazeh.Â
Blessed is the Divine in-dwelling Presence, the breath that infuses the world, for sustaining us (me), and enabling us (me) to arrive at this sacred moment of transition.
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Third immersion:
ShemaThe most central prayer in Jewish liturgy, the Shema states: "Hear O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is One." These words are written inside mezuzot and t'fillin. It is traditionally said during all major services and when waking and going to sleep.. Stepping into a new and different future of liberation from old habits. Emerging from this experience of change and growth, looking to the future of honoring myself first and embracing healing, wholeness, and oneness. Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Ekhad. Listen, all who dance with the Divine, the Source of Life Unfolding is Oneness.
Emergence from the mikveh:
Sing Psalm 23, Kosi revaya, Kosi revaya (tune by Shefa Gold).
My cup overflows. I give thanks for the unknown blessings already on their way.
