Mikvah Musings

mikveh

Written by Esther Chaya. Esther Chaya is a first-time Jewrotica writer, and is proud to share her story and experience with us.

Rated PGIf I could have asked the very young me of 50 years ago if I ever would go to a mikvah, I would have answered, “What is a mikvah?”

If I could have asked the teenage me of 40 years ago if I would ever go to a mikvah, I would have answered, “Why?”

If I had asked the young married me of 30 years ago if I would ever go to a mikvah, I would have answered, “No time and not interested.”

But today at age 57, I went to the mikvah.

With the roller coaster years leading up to menopause finally, finally behind me, I went to the mikvah to symbolically acknowledge the end of one chapter of my life and to affirm the next. And to thank HaShem for both stages.

Tonight at a random mikvah in Nachlaot, I was embraced by women that I didn’t know. They shared my experience with me, understood that it was a very special event for me and made sure that I felt safe, comfortable and ultimately spiritually uplifted. And like they did for the new bride who was also at the mikvah entering the stage of life that I was leaving, they also showered me with brachot and candies to celebrate the stage of life that I was entering.

If I could speak to the me of yesterday, I would say this: it is an experience well worth having – spiritually uplifting, life affirming, positive.

It is a powerful experience to be surrounded by strong and caring women.

It is a spiritual experience to be lifted out of the day to day routine of life and reconnected with that which is truly important.

It is a heady experience to come home basking in the afterglow of this spiritual high to find your husband of 30 plus years waiting patiently to share in your joy, eagerly reaching out like a bridegroom to wrap his arms around you and to come together as one.

With age comes wisdom.

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