"Well how come we're the only one marching every Friday night 12 miles full pack in the pitch dark."

Only in Israel....

I just saw this article on the Jpost which apparently was in Friday's paper.

First of all, i'm amazed that there is actually a city/town in Israel that doesn't have it's own mikve. You would think that living in a Jewish country, each community would try and make sure that there are the basic religious institutions, like a shul for instance and a mikve.

Here is a quote from mikvah.org

"Before exploring the deeper dimensions of this ritual, we must briefly examine the centrality of mikvah to Jewish life. Most Jews, even those who deem themselves secular, are familiar, at least conceptually, with religious observances such as the Sabbath, the dietary laws, Yom Kippur and a number of other Torah laws. Mikvah and Family Purity, on the other hand, are shrouded in obscurity pages torn out of the book, as it were. The observance of Family Purity is a biblical injunction of the highest order. The infraction of this law is equated with major transgressions such as eating chametz (leavened foods) on Passover, intentional violation of the fast on the holy day of Yom Kippur, and not entering into the covenant through ritual circumcision, brit milah.

Most Jews see the synagogue as the central institution in Jewish life. But Jewish Law states that constructing a mikvah takes precedence even over building a house of worship. Both a synagogue and a Torah Scroll, Judaism's most venerated treasure, may be sold to raise funds for the building of a mikvah. In fact, in the eyes of Jewish law, a group of Jewish families living together do not attain the status of a community if they do not have a communal mikvah.

This is so for a simple reason: private and even communal prayer can be held in virtually any location, and venues for the social functions of the synagogue can be found elsewhere. But Jewish married life, and therefore the birth of future generations in accordance with Halachah, is possible only where there is accessibility to a mikvah. It is no exaggeration to state that the mikvah is the touchstone of Jewish life and the portal to a Jewish future."

How is it possible that a community that has been around for almost 40 years, located in the heart of Israel, and a mere 15 minutes by car from Jerusalem, could be so adament against the idea of having a mikve in their area?

Why are all the self-hating Jews so vocal about completely keeping religion not just away from themselves but also for everyone else?

As stated in the Jpost article, going to the mikve is a private matter and many traditional Jewish women go, but wouldn't want anyone to know.

When Jews lived in smaller communities, it was a much shorter walk to the mikve and now-a-days with the ability to drive to the mikve on any weeknight, makes it easier. that could theoretically be the answer to this dilemma in Tzur Hadassah. Unfortunately, they don't take into consideration Friday night and any other Festival Eve where one cannot drive.

The example of Tzur Hadassah is at one extreme and is unique in that it has no mikve at all, but I know from friends that live in Modiin, where there are only 2 mikvaot in the whole city and both are a considerable walk from either of the two new communities being built (Buchman and Kaiser).

I think the Rabbanite needs to actually take these matters into their own hands and try and find solutions to this integral part of our Religious communities.

At least then we would have someone looking after our halachic needs...

J.


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln