By Sam Balogh
On Friday morning, still at the beginning of our weekend in Tzfat, we walked the streets of Tzfat and arrived at a women’s mikveh and education center. After breaking up by males and females, we went and discussed the significance of the mikveh for our respective gender. The mens' conversation revolved around topics of holiness, separation, vibrate living, intention, cleanliness, and “rebirth”. After our brief discussion we embarked for “the ultimate mikveh challenge”. Our guide brought us down the mountain a little, and we arrived at the Ari Mikveh, a natural spring discovered by Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (Ha’Ari) some 500 years ago. After getting the chance to go in the ~freezing cold~ mikveh, we left and continued with our day. The concept of mikveh was not new to me, and I have visited mikvehs before… and although this time at the mikveh in Tzfat may have seemed uneventful, I actually found it overwhelming fitting to begin our journey in Tzfat in this way.
The entire weekend in Tzfat we discussed the idea of what it means to be holy, how it is we can achieve holiness, and where can we infuse holy practices in our lives. Additionally, we were in the process of making t’fillin, something which must be done with the intention of making them holy. Thus being able to go into the mikveh while also trying to understand what it means to be holy helped bring all the lessons together. For thousands of years, our people have used the mikveh in order to spiritually cleanse themselves - here I see the intention just as important as the action. As I continue to explore who it is that I want to be, what it is that I want to do, and how I want to act in this world, I strive to maintain a certain outlook. In order to remain consistent and true to myself, I am looking for inspirations and seek new practices which with enable me to be my best self. I find the idea of spiritual cleanliness a key factor in this process, and I understand why it is some Jews would choose to mikveh everyday. I can definitely see myself exploring the use of a mikveh more consistently in the future or finding a practice to infuse similar meaning and intention.
