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Project: Mei Menachem Mikvah Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA Description: Jewish Ritual Bath The Mikvah is an orthodox Jewish ritual bath that is the contemporary incarnation of a ritual originally sited in nature. Halachah (Jewish law) dictates that a Mikvah must be built into the ground, or built as an essential part of a building. In the Park Slope Mikvah, the Mikvah vessel is not just structurally an essential part of the building, it is also an essential, or central part of the Mikvah experience. The building is centered around the Mikvah. The Mikvah ritual entails step-by-step detailed preparation, and in this case, the movement through the building becomes part of the preparation and the ritual, and enhances the experience. As you enter the building you see the Mikvah, you wait along side it, feel the heat radiating from it, and then move up and around it to the preparation rooms. As you go up the stairs there is a skylight above, which is reminiscent of the first ‘mikvahs’ beneath the stars and the moon. For a woman who follows family purity laws, the Mikvah experience is cyclical, and is part of the rhythm of daily life. The lunar cycle of the Jewish calendar also sets the rhythm of daily life, and on clear nights the moon is visible above. The skylight also differentiates between the nighttime use (for family purity purposes), and the daytime use of a bride or a convert. The primary function of the roof as a rain capturing device is evident in the shape of the roof above the stairs and in the space of the Mikvah itself. When it is raining a person going up will hear rain on the skylight, feel the slope and shape of the roof, and hear and possibly see water coming down through the building. The preparation to enter the Mikvah involves the systematic removal of layers from clothing down to loose nails and hair. As a person moves through the space and becomes more exposed, the building becomes more layered, as modesty and privacy are so essential. When a person is ready to leave their preparation room to enter the space of the Mivkah, the attendant must move panels which act as the final layer in insuring privacy. The building itself becomes part of the choreography of the ritual. The nature of having the Mikvah vessel as a central focus of the building
requires that the two changing rooms share the corridor. Through close
monitoring this arrangement gives the most privacy as it eliminates chance
encounters in the Mikvah, in the halls, and on the stairs. According to
Jewish Law a Mikvah is essential to, and even defines a Jewish community.
Having your movements delayed by another woman’s use of the Mikvah
brings an awareness of others in the community for whom the Mivkah experience
is also central to their lives. |
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