Tuesday, 8 July 2014

A brief conversation about the Mikveh Myth


 http://historicalthings.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/jewishatl-interior-of-the-nidhe-israel-mikveh-ca-1650s-in-bridgetown-barbados1.jpg




Karaite:
 Shavua Tov - there is not basis in the Torah for Mikva. It nowhere states a woman must immerse herself. And Rambam falsifies the Torah in the beginning of Hilchot Mikvkavot. "Halacha 2 - Whenever the Torah mentions washing one's flesh or laundering one's garments from impurity, the intent is solely the immersion of the entire body or article in a mikveh. " This is essentially like Christianity or reform, changing what is explciitly stated in the Torah.

Rabbi:

you mean Torah does NOT talk about washing one's flesh? Is this your claim?

Karaite:
No, that is not my point. The Torah does say that person must bathe his body and launder his clothes in certain cases (Lev 15), for Temple purity. It does not say that a woman needs to go to a Mikveh to immerse. it does not even say that a woman is required to bathe in regular water, although this might be inferred. But the actions of bathing and laundering are not the same as immersing in a mikveh. The rabbis are forcing this misreading of the Torah, and that is my point.

2 comments:

  1. I recently saw a video where Chief Hakham Moshe Firrouz explained the concept of Karaite cleansing to some visitors. He basically said (I'm paraphrasing) that when you go into a mikvah with your impurities, the idea is that your impurities leave you. But then where are they? They're in the water, waiting for the next person to get into the mikvah. A shower or form of running water over your body cleanses you from impurities and the impurities go away with the wherever the water goes.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PyybbkPpeo

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  2. Where in Torah does it say that natural mikveh of water cannot contract impurity? I'm not saying you're wrong, I would just like to study the Hebrew of the section. Thank you!

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