Dvar Torah :: Parshat Bereshit

September 18, 2025

In Parshat Bereshit, we read about the creation of the world. In philosophical terms we often think of God creating something from nothing. But that is not what the Torah says. Quoting the Stone Chumash, “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth, when the earth was astonishingly empty with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine presence hovered upon the surface of the waters. God said let there be light.” 

So, before God began creating light, there was darkness and water. 

Water was there from the beginning and seems to be a necessary ingredient for the creation of the world. Midrash Bereshit Rabbah teaches that, prior to creating the present universe, God repeatedly built worlds which He subsequently destroyed. So, perhaps a better way to frame it is that water may be a critical ingredient in rebirth or re-creation.

Water plays a huge role in Jewish life, ritual and imagination. 

A baby breaks forth into the world in a gush of water, the Jewish people became a nation emerging from the waters of the Sea of Reeds, Moses twice draws water from the rock. And one of the most joyous ceremonies of all was the Simchat Beit Hashoeva, the water drawing ritual of Succot which involved drawing water from the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem and pouring it at the altar in the Temple symbolizing physical and spiritual rejuvenation. The list goes on. But the water ritual I want to focus on is Mikveh. 

The first time the word Mikveh appears in the Torah is in Genesis 1:10 when we read about God gathering of waters, mikveh ha-mayim. The term appears again, in Leviticus 11:36 during a section on purity laws. The verse states אַךְ מַעְיָן וּבוֹר מִקְוֵה-מַיִם, יִהְיֶה טָהוֹר “a spring or a cistern where there is a collection of water shall be pure." The Hebrew root (ק-ו-ה) means "to collect" or "to gather." 

The development of the ritual mikveh as a specific pool for purification occurs later in Jewish tradition and texts, building on these foundational Torah passages. 

When many of us think of Mikveh, what probably first comes to mind is the monthly immersion by women observing family purity laws. Other common uses include immersion as part of conversion to Judaism, before the high holidays or Shabbat, and a bride immersing before her wedding. These immersions all have the power to add a level of holiness and meaning to these significant events. The Sefer HaChinukh, an anonymous work written in thirteenth-century Spain, that clearly details the 613 commandments and explains the reasons behind them,  makes the connection of Mikveh to Genesis explicit. “A person should see themselves with immersion as if they were created at that time just like the whole world was water before humanity was on it.” 

Over the past 20 years, a movement, called the Open Mikveh movement, has developed with the goal of creating welcoming inclusive Mikvaot (plural of Mikveh) with expanded applications to help Jews find new ways to connect with Mikveh. In 2004, the first open mikveh, Mayyim Hayyim, was founded in Newton, Massachusetts by Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent. She envisioned “a mikveh that encourages the prayers of the heart in Jews of every denomination and description… that respects the modesty of the people who visit… that is beautiful in design and decoration, welcoming and inviting from the minute you walk through the door.”

New water rituals have emerged that can have the power to Jewishly mark events and transitions that may not be associated with a specifically Jewish ritual. Examples include immersing to mark an important moment on a healing journey, job loss, retirement, divorce, a special birthday, gender transitioning, observing a yahrzeit, hoping to get pregnant and more. Mikveh can symbolize going from a state of being spiritually unready to a state of being spiritually prepared for a life change. Through this expanded role, Mikveh can be an entry point to bring people back to their Judaism, many of whom don’t belong to shuls or other Jewish institutions. Open Mikvehs also have a strong educational component to help foster reconnection with Judaism. 

Currently, there are about 25 open Mikvaot around the country and not only in big cities. Des Moines, IA, Lexington, KY, and Omaha, NE all have recently built open Mikvaot. They are all part of the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network, which supports and promotes open mikveh centers in cities around the world. There are currently over 40 open mikveh initiatives including here in the Twin Cities. Since 2022 Maayanot Community Mikveh has been actively planning to build an open mikveh in the Twin Cities. The name Maayanot means “wellsprings.”

I have been privileged to be on the board and executive committee of Maayanot since its inception. We are an officially registered nonprofit with a beautiful website. Members of Maayanot’s Board of Directors and committees come from all parts of the Twin Cities and beyond. 100% of Minnesota’s Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and modern Orthodox congregational clergy participated in an early seed funding round to help Maayanot begin our work. And this past September, 200 people from across the community registered to attend our fundraiser at Temple Israel. It was a wonderful event with great energy and optimism.I frequently get asked two questions. Why am I involved in this? And why do we need another Mikveh? 

In my role as a Mohel, I frequently interact with people converting to Judaism. Over the years, I have heard many stories about negative Mikveh conversion experiences. That is sad and a horrible way to welcome a new member to the Jewish community. I also care deeply about bringing Jews back to Judaism and helping them make Judaism meaningful. I believe an open Mikveh is a promising strategy. 

Why a new Mikveh? Currently, the only mikveh where clergy can bring conversion candidates is the St. Paul Mikvah. The others are gendered and not open for conversions. Our current Mikvaot are not open to the wide array of reasons a person may want to go to the mikveh. If a person wants to go to the Mikveh for anything other than "traditional" reasons, they must have an "in," meaning it's difficult. Even for clergy, scheduling a Mikveh appointment for conversion was very difficult in the past. 

Our current mikvaot are not handicapped accessible, they have limited hours, the physical space such as books and artwork reflects a Haredi lifestyle and often don’t feel very welcoming to non-Orthodox people. And I have heard that even some Darchei members have not felt very welcome or comfortable. In short, the current Mikvaot don’t represent the values of modern Orthodoxy.

Several years ago, in an article in Tablet magazine, Rabbi Avi Weiss, the founder of the rabbinical schools that both Rabbi Max Davis and Rabbanit Dalia Davis attended, wrote, “The dividing line within Orthodoxy today revolves around inclusivity. Is Orthodoxy inclusive of women—encouraging women to become more involved in Jewish ritual and Jewish spiritual leadership? Notwithstanding the Torah prohibition on homosexuality, are those in such relationships included as full members in our synagogues, and are their children welcomed into day schools? Do we respect, embrace, and give a forum to those who struggle with deep religious, theological, and ethical questions? Do we insist upon forbiddingly stringent measures for conversion, or do we, within halakhic parameters, reach out to converts with love and understanding? … Are we prepared to engage in dialogue and learn from Jews of other denominations, and, for that matter, people of all faiths?

Put simply, is our focus on boundaries, fences, high and thick—obsessing and spending inordinate amounts of time ostracizing and condemning and declaring who is not in—or is our focus on creating welcoming spaces to enhance the character of what Orthodoxy could look like in the 21st century?” 

Let me give one example that hits close to home. 

One of Maayanot’s board members was formerly an active member of the more right leaning Orthodox community. She regularly used the Mikveh until her divorce about 10 years ago. Since then, she has not been allowed to use the Mikveh even before Yom Kippur or even before she remarried presumably because her fiancé was not Jewish. She told me that the Mikveh representatives would not even return her calls.

Stories abound of similar boundaries and fences, high and thick. Whether you agree or disagree with a person’s reason for wanting to use a Mikveh, an open mikveh should embrace people, not push them away.

By the way, just as a Torah does not become pasul (unfit for use) from someone Tamei (impure) touching it, a Mikveh also does not become pasul from someone Tamei immersing in it. The kosher status of a mikveh is based on how it is constructed. Maaynanot will be a halachically kosher mikveh. 

Maayanot will be announcing soon where our new Mikveh will be built and how much money we will need to raise. Stay tuned. 

I want to close by thanking Rabbi and Rabbanit Davis who have both been very supportive of our efforts and I want to invite you all to help us build an Open Mikveh here in the Twin Cities. Help us actualize the inclusive vision of Modern Orthodoxy that Rabbi Avi Weiss has so beautifully laid out. And in the spirit of the re-creation of Genesis, help our fellow Jews and those choosing Judaism to realize the vision of Ezekiel Ch 36: “I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be purified…And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you.” 

Shabbat Shalom.