Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller.
Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.
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If pregnancy elevates women spiritually, how come they go to the mikvah after giving birth?
Because they’re no longer carrying that extra life. The higher spiritual status comes from having an extra soul within their bodies. When the baby comes out, the status is lowered, hence a reason for another dip!
To be considered “clean” even the highest spiritual women were considered “unclean” while on their periods.Think Think about it this way even the priests in the wilderness had to be cleaned.
Beautiful Mikva. This was a very cute video.
What a lovely Mikvah! Once again, great job!
Cute, but very informative videos. Perfect example of successful levity in explaining serious and religious topics. Understanding each other and the reasons for why we do things makes this world a friendlier, and safer, place for us all to live. Thank you for this.
great blend of humor, information, clarity, and inspiration! Once again, you did a fantastic job!
Thank you for this wonderful video! I will be sharing with friends to help explain this beautiful process 🙂
Great video! I am in the process of converting and trying to move from my tiny town with no synagogue/mikveh to NYC to start officially with a rabbi. The mikveh is a hard thing to grasp if you can’t see one for yourself and be walked through it. This makes much more sense, and it sounds SO NICE. I’m now looking forward to it every month! Thanks, Allison!
What a moving presentation of mikvah. I cried at the “I do” recitation. Keep up the good work you are doing
I cried! Thank you!
A bit over the top, I think. Yes mikvah purifies, yes it perhaps makes one feel more spiritual, yes the complete separation may renew the physical side of marriage. But it fails to address the fact that this monthly ritual and renewal will no longer be possible or necessary once a woman is post menopausal. So perhaps a bit ageist?
Thanks for your comment, Sarah. It also doesn’t apply when pregnant (and in many cases nursing). I am not at this stage in my life yet but from 34 years old, this is what I’ve come up with. When you’re young and having babies and raising them, it is hard to carve out time for ANYTHING: intimate time together, spirituality, self. The mikvah is a small window each month where that time is a must, even if it’s brief.
So what are post-menopausal women to do? Perhaps it is the stage of life where prayer, learning, volunteering, hospitality can really be on the forefront. The woman finally has time to devote to herself and to giving to those outside her home.
[…] (affecting the couple’s ability to be intimate) and we have the ability to get rid of it with a mikvah alone (as opposed to requiring a sacrifice). Most other forms of ritual impurity make no difference […]