Splash! benefiting the new Waters of Eden Education and Spirituality Fund
From Rabbi Lenore Bohm’s Splash! Speech:
“I’d like to spend a few moments talking about Waters of Eden, and let me begin by quoting from a recent book, Empowered Judaism: “Instead of focusing on new ideas, the Jewish community would be better served by connecting to the original “big ideas” of our heritage. There is no new “big idea” out there, there is just investment in the old in a serious, meaningful and thoughtful way.”
A Mikvah is an “old” idea and practice being reclaimed and embraced anew. So many in the Jewish community today hunger for genuine encounters with authentic Jewish practice. The synagogue supplies many such opportunities, but no one institution can supply all.
A pluralistic Mikvah such as we are trying to build here in San Diego will provide a place for Jews at any step in their Jewish journey, at any stage in their life, at any noteworthy point in their identity evolution, to engage in a profoundly Jewish and ancient spiritual practice designed to cultivate self-exploration and create a powerful encounter with God and tradition.
Immersing in a Mikvah allows one to leave the corrosive world behind and focus on God and personal transformation. Immersing in a Mikvah - a pool of living water – takes preparation, commitment, courage and risk – all in a Jewish framework. The immersion is the culmination of a process of identifying who I am and who am I determined to become. These are deep spiritual questions that Judaism poses to us daily, weekly, monthly and annually in a variety of public settings. Going to the Mikvah allows one to interact with these questions in the most private, vulnerable and porous of settings, surrounded by the most primal, mysterious and powerful of substances, water.
There will be those who want to immerse monthly, or in advance of major holidays or life transitions, or only occasionally in celebration, in renunciation, in triumph, or in thanksgiving. The Mikvah will be another vehicle for connection, in addition to the many already offered by the Jewish community, for those drawn to an honest religious search.
And it will touch lives. And it will change lives. Even for those who choose not to get wet, Waters of Eden will continue to offer programs and experiences that will Jewishly impact our richly textured, highly individualized 21st century lives. Waters of Eden will prioritize our challenges, our changes, our gratitude and our groping.
Waters of Eden provides a fresh, energizing resource that already does – and will continue to speak to the edges and the center of San Diego’s diverse Jewish community. It is a visionary undertaking whose time has come. It has been a privilege for me to work with the leadership of Waters of Eden to bring it thus far. May we bring the vision to its ultimate fulfillment speedily, and may God bless the worthy aspirations of our hearts and the dedicated works of our hands.”
Rabbi Lenore Bohm
May 17, 2012
Click HERE for the Splash Press Release.pdf
