A few months ago before Rosh Hashana, as I was trying to do some pre-move purging, I found an old special issue of National Geographic entitled “Water: Our Thirsty World.” It wasn’t much different than any other Nat Geo I’d ever seen. It dealt with the different ways water can be used throughout the world. That was when I saw it. It was just an ordinary photograph, yet it shook me to my core. A Ukrainian Hasidic Jew, presumably Satmar, emerges from a pool of water soaked, peyes sopping wet. The caption reads: “A Hasidic Jew in Ukraine immerses himself before Rosh Hashanah in a quarry pool that serves as a mikvah, a body of water used for spiritual cleansing.” The expression on this mans face is pure awe and joy. I saw my whole life as it could be in that one measly photograph. I saw myself enjoying luscious Shabbat dinners at some prominent rabbi’s table. I saw myself on my wedding day as I encircled my groom, a slender and pale Talmud scholar, under the chuppah seven times. I saw my sons attending the best yeshivah in town and my daughters each learning how to be a bat melech. Gone are the days when my grandmother would have to bribe me with (the very much not kosher) McNuggets just to comply with any sort of religious instruction. I’m a whole different girl now.
What do YOU think about my transformation? Share your opinions in the comments below.
