Traditionally, the rhythm of sexual relations in a marriage was determined by the Jewish laws of purity and impurity (tahara and tumah). A woman abstained from sexual relations with her husband during her menstrual period and for a fixed time (usually a week) thereafter. At the conclusion of this period, she immersed herself in a mikveh, a ritual bath, and resumed sexual relations with her husband.
In the 1970’s, as Jewish feminists began to grapple with Jewish tradition, mikveh seemed to be among the least redeemable of traditional rituals. Surprisingly, this has proved not to be the case. Some modern women have found ways to meaningfully integrate the practice of mikveh into their married lives or other relationships, while others have found creative uses for the mikveh to mark other significant occasions – ordination as a rabbi, divorce, healing from illness, etc.
This section of ritualwell has rituals and articles dealing with mikveh in the context of sexual relations. Look in the other relevant sections (conversion, healing) to find uses for mikveh in those contexts, or do a keyword search for mikveh.
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Rising from the Ritual Bath | Article
By Rabbi Jill Hammer
An article explaining the traditional uses of mikveh and modern perspectives on it, including a review of contemporary literature on the subject
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Techine Prior to Immersion in the Mikveh | Prayer
By Renee S. Septimus
A prayer, fashioned after traditional women's prayers, techinot, to be said prior to immersion in the mikveh
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Kavanah for Mikveh | Ritual Component
By Carol Rose
A meditation for the mikveh invoking God's healing presence
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Prelude to Mikveh | Poem
By Cynthia Wallace
A kavanah for ritual immersion that focuses on the experience of mikveh as an experience of the Divine
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Give Way to the Way | Prayer
By Leigh Wilk
A prayer for the mikveh
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We Immerse in the Waters of Eden | Complete Ceremony
By Rabbi Leila Gal Berner
Mikveh for a couple before wedding
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A Prayer for a Child: to be said before entering the mikveh* | Prayer
By Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin
Describes the practice of going to a mikveh (ritual bath) as it relates to the desire for conception.
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A Prayer for the Woman to Say Before Returning from the Mikveh | Poem
By Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin
A love poem for marital relations
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Ceremony for Immersion | Complete Ceremony
By Rabbi Barbara Rosman Penzner and Rabbi Amy Joy Small
Prayers to recite prior to immersion in the mikveh
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