Mikvah
Mikvah
Rachel’s Well, Portland’s Community Mikvah (Havurah's Mikvah Liaison: Evan King)
Rachel's Well Community Mikvah (Photo Credit: Josh Partee)
What is a Mikvah?
A Mikvah is a Jewish ritual bath requiring "living waters" sourced from rain. Natural bodies of water are all kosher mikvahs. The ritual of immersion is rooted in centuries of tradition and is a way for Jews to experience an embodied spirituality that can connect us to God, our bodies, our ancestors and the water cycles of our planet.
What is the Mikvah used for?
A Mikvah is a Jewish sacred space designed to support Jewish ritual life and the personal transitions of individuals and families in the community. We welcome those visiting the Mikvah for traditional reasons like: women immersing monthly (niddah/taharat ha-mishpacha), getting married, making dishes kosher, conversion, and preparing spiritually for Shabbat and holidays.
Equally welcome and encouraged are creative reasons to immerse, such as to celebrate a major life transition or change in status. Examples of this type of visit are varied but include reaching a milestone birthday, acknowledging a diagnosis or recovery from illness, marking the end of a mourning period, becoming a bar or bat mitzvah, coming out, transitioning, or celebrating an anniversary.
Who can use the Mikvah?
Anyone who identifies as Jewish is welcome to experience Rachel's Well Community Mikvah. It is customary to give tzedakah (a contribution) when visiting a Mikvah. No one will be turned away for inability to make a donation.
Sat, April 27 2024
19 Nisan 5784
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Havurah Updates
Hineinu: Havurahnik Seder Matching Continues, Kabbalat Shabbbat on Friday, and Much More!
Passover Seder Matching Continues
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Upcoming Events
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Saturday ,
AprApril 27 , 2024(HYB) Shabbat Morning with Bat Mitzvah of Beatrice Weiss Ekstrom
Shabbat, Apr 27th 10:00a to 12:00p
Please join us in welcoming Beatrice Weiss Ekstrom as a Bat Mitzvah and member of our community. -
Sunday ,
AprApril 28 , 2024(IP) B'nei Mitzvah Run-through
Sunday, Apr 28th 11:00a to 1:00p
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Sunday ,
AprApril 28 , 2024(IP) HCAT & Partners' Climate Action Fair at MJCC
Sunday, Apr 28th 12:00p to 4:00p
HCAT invites you to continue with our climate action month by attending a community wide Climate Action Fair at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Cosponsored by the MJCC and the Jewish Federation’s Climate team, meet dozens of environmental organizations and discover resources for actions you can take. A series of speakers will talk about forestry, electrification, native plants and climate friendly foods. (And let Elianne Lieberman know if you can give someone a ride or are seeking a ride!) -
Sunday ,
AprApril 28 , 2024Private Gathering
Sunday, Apr 28th 1:00p to 5:00p
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Monday ,
AprApril 29 , 2024(ZM) Climate Action Team Meeting
Monday, Apr 29th 5:30p to 7:00p
Join the Climate Action Team's monthly meeting in Zoom Room Gimel. -
Tuesday ,
AprApril 30 , 2024Passover Minyan (Yizkor)
Tuesday, Apr 30th 8:00a to 9:15a
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. We will observe Yizkor today as well. We meet both in person and streaming online in Zoom Room Aleph. All are welcome. Please email info@havurahshalom.org for join info. -
Tuesday ,
AprApril 30 , 2024Experience the Omer: Making it Count!
Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 7:30p
[RSVP to be emailed a recording of the April 9 intro session.] The Omer is an ancient tradition marking time between the Exodus from the Narrow Place to the Expanse at Sinai. Explore tools and practices to facilitate your own learning and experience from Liberation to Revelation. We will have an intro class followed by half-hour check-ins, one for each Sephira. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. 7 pm, Tuesdays, Apr. 9 (Intro), 23 (Chesed), 30 (Gevurah); May 7 (Tiferet), 14 (Netzach), 21 (Hod), 28 (Yesod); Jun. 4 (Malchut) Led by Andrine de la Rocha. -
Tuesday ,
AprApril 30 , 2024(ZM) Book Group: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 8:30p
February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy’s body. From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. -
Thursday ,
MayMay 2 , 2024Prayer Flags for Our Planet
Thursday, May 2nd 11:00a to 3:00p
This exhibit is about science and art. It is meant to be a learning experience, about the top 60 solutions to climate change, as researched by over 5,000 scientists. And most importantly it is about hope. It is about learning about these solutions to climate change and changing the hearts and minds of those around us, so that we can all work together. Anne Nesse, 2024 -
Thursday ,
MayMay 2 , 2024(ZM) B'nei Mitzvah Event Planning 101
Thursday, May 2nd 7:00p to 8:30p
We will break the event planning process into manageable steps. Led by Chari Smith. We will meet in Zoom room Gimel