Community Magazine October 2019

We thus have a situation whereby specifically in Israel, something so sacred, precious, and vital as family purity is disregarded. The information to couples before their wedding is provided through the auspices of the Religious Affairs Council, an arm of local municipalities, which, in most Israeli cities, is secular, and therefore, funding is granted for only two sessions per couple. It is obvious that two sessions are not enough to cover this important subject, and the material is presented very briefly and hurriedly, just to get it over with. In such a short period of time, there is no possibility of presenting the proper outlook and arousing the heart to fulfill this important mitzvah , as is necessary to overcome the temptation to neglect it, running the risk of grave Torah violations, Heaven forbid. It is worth mentioning that any reputable halachic training center or kollel that deals with this topic devotes at least two years to full-time study of the laws of family purity. And Hacham Ovadia Yosef spent forty years writing his book Taharat Ha’bayit on this subject! If we would ask those in charge why such an important mitzvah has been pushed to the side, they would give the routine answer: “Couples in any event will not observe this mitzvah , so what purpose is served by going through the trouble to explain it to them?” But this is a terrible mistake. Experience has proven that when the teacherworkswith thebride lovingly, and speaks toher heart, carefully and delicately explaining to her with genuine love and affection the benefits of observing these laws, the words penetrate the heart and can trigger a complete transformation. Nearly all the teachers involved in bringing this message door-to-door have reported experiencing each night the unpleasant situation of succeeding in bringing a woman to a mikveh after ten or twenty years of marriage, and the woman then turns to the teacher and asks, “Wherewere you twenty years ago? Why didn’t you explain to me when I got married how important and worthwhile this is?” There is no doubt that zechut avot – the merit of their predecessors – is what has enabled these women’s hearts to be open and receptive to this mitzvah , and to sense its unique sanctity. Rav Yehuda Tzadka used to say that the merits of the grandmother who observed the mitzvah generations earlier have the effect of awakening the hearts of her descendants. Midrash Bet Nasi Rav Tzadka’s disciple, Rav Nissim Naftali, tells that the rabbi was once invited to sign the certificates of ordination for the students of a kollel who were tested on halachah . The rabbi asked which subjects were covered. The students said that they were tested on the laws of melihah (salting meat), basar behalav (the prohibition of eating meat withmilk), and ta’arovet (mixtures of permissible and forbidden food). “I wonder,” the rabbi replied, “how many times a year a woman comes to ask about the status of a dairy spoon that fell into a meat pot. But questions about family purity can come up in a Jewish home each and every day, at any hour, day or night.” He thus refused to sign their certificates of ordination until they were tested on the laws of family purity, including the laws of immersion. This matter was so important to him that toward the end of his life, he instructed his student to work harder to strengthen family purity in the Jewish world. Not long after his passing, Rav Naftali launched a large project to disseminate information and encourage observance of these laws. Remarkably, shortly after he started this organization, a prominent philanthropist came to Israel and told himthat Rav Tzadka had told him before his passing that if he sees this disciple – Rav Naftali – involved in projects to help the public, he should offer support and assistance. Without any delay, this donor immediately gave a large sum for the construction of a beautiful site for Torah and prayer in western Rishon LeZion. The institute is called Midrash Bet Nasi, the name of the bet midrash in Aleppo. Over the years, the institutehasworked to strengthen the mitzvah of family purity by running numerous conferences throughout Israel which are attended by thousands of religious, traditional and secular women. After hearing lectures about the importance of family purity, the participants fill out forms to receive guidance and instruction in their homes. It is heartwarming to see such a large number of completely secular women seeking this guidance, as well as the large number of religious women who express interest Hall to welcome the Kallah and her friends with the participation of a Rebbetzin and a singer to be happy on her wedding night and to bring her future and her friends to be tovel in the mikveh each month. TISHREI 5780 OCTOBER 2019 33