How to Plan a Mikvah Visit Before a Wedding
Traditionally, women visit the mikvah, or ritual bath, before their weddings to mark their entrance into a new stage of their lives, one in which they will follow the laws of family purity. Some liberal Jews are now choosing to embrace this tradition, whether or not they plan to follow these laws, as a way to sanctify this transition in their lives. The follow are some tips for planning to do so.
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Instructions
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Learn about the mikvah. Particularly if you are not familiar with this custom, you will want to understand its significance and determine its meaning for you. Information about the mikvah from different perspectives can be found online or from your religious leader.
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Find a mikvah. From Mikvah.org, you can access the "Global Mikvah Directory" (top left corner), which will direct you to a mikvah near you. If you are in the Boston-area, you may also wish to visit Mayyim Hayyim, a mikvah that was recently built to reclaim the tradition of using the mikvah for Jews across the religious spectrum.
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Contact the mikvah you plan to visit. In many cases, you may have to pay a fee and/or book and appointment in advance, so it is important to get this information firsthand. You should also inquire what else to bring, as well as how many days prior to your wedding you will visit.
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Consider conducting a ceremony marking the event. In addition to reciting the blessings that are part of your actual immersion, you may wish you conduct a ceremony to mark the occasion. The Mayyim Hayyim website has a sample of this (click on "Immersions" on the left column, then select "Sample ceremonies").
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