Mayim Rabim

In my previous post, I mentioned that when I began to learn about T”H, I didn’t know where to turn for guidance. I did ultimately find someone: a recently married female Conservative rabbi who was willing to sit down with me, talk through some of the issues, and study some of the sources. Our concerns were not quite the same (she was still deciding whether to commit to mikveh use at all), but it was immensely helpful to have someone to talk to who was at least in the same philosophical universe as me when it came to T”H.

If only opportunities for this sort of learning and discussion were more available in the non-Orthodox world, I might have been better prepared for T”H before I got married. Comments on Tall Latte’s post, What I wish I would have learned in a Kallah Class, emphasized the lack of halachic consensus in the progressive movements, but I think that problem is surmountable. The key is to empower couples to make their own decisions regarding T”H, rather than simply offering practical instruction.

An ideal course of this nature would have the following components:

1. An overview of halachic source material, tracing the development of the laws from the Torah through the Gemara, and culminating with practical proposals by non-Orthodox rabbis. The Talmudic portion of the overview would have to be very selective, and should be geared toward giving students a sense for the halachic process. This portion of the course may as well be co-ed.

2. Theoretical discussion of the biblical and rabbinic conceptions of tum’ah and taharah (“purity” and “impurity”) in general and T”H in particular, preferably with reference to some of the contemporary scholarship on the subject. Relevant literature by progressive Jewish thinkers should also be discussed. This portion of the course may also be co-ed.

3. A non-dogmatic introduction to common T”H practices, on roughly the level of detail offered in the FAQ’s at the Nishmat site. Students should be informed of resources that can help them learn more about specific practices on their own. Teachers must realize that in order to be comfortable using what in most cases will be Orthodox-run mikvaot, women must be able to understand their surroundings, and this entails familiarity with even those practices that they may not personally adopt.

4. Practical guidelines for using the local mikveh. In order to maintain a reasonable comfort level, women must know exactly what to expect.

5. An opportunity for both men and women to discuss practical, philosophical, and emotional concerns relating to T”H in a non-co-ed setting.

As long as no such class exists, non-Orthodox women interested in T”H are left to either (a) take an Orthodox class, (b) try to learn as much as possible on their own, or (c) abandon the practice altogether. For those who choose (b) as I did, here is a list of recommended reading material:

Biale, Rachel. Women and Jewish Law: An Exploration of Women’s Issues in Halakhic Sources. New York: Schocken, 1984, chs. 5 and 6.
(A clear presentation of halachic source material in translation, along with Biale’s analysis.)

Cohen, Shaye. “Menstruants and the Sacred in Judaism and Christianity.” In Women’s History and Ancient History, ed. Sarah B. Pomeroy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991.
(An excellent overview of the development of the laws of T”H. Cohen argues that the laws are not fundamentally misogynistic, though they have been used to misogynistic ends during certain periods of Jewish history.)

Greenberg, Blu. On Women & Judaism: A View From Tradition. JPS, 1981, pp. 105-123.
(A defense of T”H by an Orthodox feminist, with a few suggestions for modifying the theory and practice of T”H. Appropriate for those who tend toward the traditional end of Conservative Judaism as well as those who practice a liberal form of Orthodoxy.)

Grossman, Susan. “Feminism, Midrash, and Mikveh.” In Conservative Judaism, Winter 1992, pp. 7-17.
(A practical and theoretical rethinking of T”H from a liberal Conservative perspective. IMO, this article is also appropriate for Reform and Reconstructionist women thinking of bringing mikveh use into their lives.)

Hauptman, Judith. Rereading the Rabbis: A Woman’s Voice. Westview Press, 1998, pp. 147-176.
(An insightful, provocative analysis of the rabbinic sources on Niddah.)

Wasserfall, Rahel R. (ed). Women and Water: Menstruation in Jewish Life and Law.
(Essays by scholars in various disciplines on the ways in which T”H has been understood in diaspora Judaism.)

Feedback and additional recommendations are more than welcome.