Community Magazine October 2019

In the early evening hours, a light knock on the door of a home in Jerusalem’s Katamon neighborhood brings the wife to the door, curious as to who this could be. She was not expecting any visitors that night. Shewas not at all prepared for the surprise that awaitedher at thedoor. She could not believe her eyes when they beheld the robe of Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l , accompanied by a distinguished-looking rabbi, who identified himself as the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rav Betzalel Zolty, zt”l . The woman was not at all religiously observant. But which Jewish heart would not be stirred by the sight of these two prominent figures, who stood before her like a poor man begging at the door, asking, “Would you perhaps agree to come to the new mikveh which was recently built here in the neighborhood?”? Fortunately, the concept of immersion in a mikveh was not foreign to her. Over a decade earlier, when she got married, she heard a thing or two about it. But the pressures of day-to-day life swept her along and pushed to the side anything that was too difficult or overbearing, and she saw no need to concern herself with something which seemed like an excessively stringent religious practice. But now, seeing how these two prominent rabbis took the trouble to come to her and extend a personal invitation, and that the mikveh itself, according to these rabbis, was new and welcoming, she thought to herself, why not look into it? “He Cried From the Depths of His Heart” These rabbis were following a tradition practiced by their illustrious predecessors. It is told that in the Chafetz Chaim’s later years, when leaving the house became an all-but-impossible undertaking, he nevertheless went through the trouble of leaving home and embarking on a grueling, dangerous trip to bring the message of family purity to remote communities. Rav Nissim Naftali, shelit”a , a close disciple and aide of Rav Yehuda Tzadka, zt”l , said: For years, I had the privilege of accompanying my master and teacher on his trips to lecture throughout the Land of Israel to raise awareness of the sacred and precious subject of family purity. He cried from the depths of his heart when speaking to the masses, pleading to themnot to neglect one of the foundations of the Jewish home. He once went for a Shabbat retreat to the old city of Tzefat. Throughout Shabbat, he dragged himself from one synagogue to the next, going even to remote neighborhoods, and wherever he went, he strengthened this sacred matter. Indeed, the mitzvah of family purity is the most basic foundation of the Jewish home. Throughout the generations, it has been strictly observed, with all its numerous details, and Jews made monumental sacrifices for this mitzvah . The great Torah sages led the way in ensuring there was a halachically valid mikveh in every community, and overseeing all aspects of its operation. A Tragic Plague of Ignorance There is an accepted practice throughout all Jewish communities, even intheDiaspora, thateverybrideandgroom, beforetheirwedding, attends at least ten sessions on the basic principles of family purity, the meaning of marriage in Judaism, and the way to properly build their relationship as a married couple. Unfortunately, though, due to the influence of the state-run educational institutions, this mitzvah sits on a very low rung on the ladder of values for the typical Israeli. A look at the groundbreaking Israeli institute seeking to raise awareness of the vitally important mitzvah of family purity. 32 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE The Foundation of the Jewish Home כי מציון תצא תורה- ומראשון לציון תצא טהרה