No mens mikvah | Imamother

shalhevet

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:19 am

Ruchel wrote:

Women mikve are disgusting, but men mikve are FILTHY. NO, I don't want a guy in my mikve, THANKS.

Can you please stop generalizing? It's fine to say "the mikva in my community is..." or "all the (3/5/10) mikvas I have ever been to are..." but there are many, many beautiful, clean mikvas out there. Maybe you can find out if there is something near you because it is such a shame your mikva experience is being spoiled.

Quote:

(personal pet peeve: communities who have a man mikve but let the women shlep, grrrrr).

Perhaps the reason is that the halachos for a men's mikva are much simpler, so it would be cheaper/ easier to build? (BTW, to those who said a woman couldn't use a men's mikva, some are built to the halachic standards of women's mikvas, but some aren't.) But I agree with you that a community's first priority should certainly be one for women.

About men being assur to toivel in a women's mikva - I know the reason, but it would seem from here that there are different opinions.

Ruchel

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:24 am

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Ok, so this has been my experience as well as my mil's (who travelled around quite a bit every year), and my mom only trusts one mikve where I don't want to go as it's across Paris and the traffic is unbearable at these hours.

There is one clean mikve but the ladies insist on their rite being followed and it led to fights every month. Not worth it. The one I go was clean for about a year or so as it was new... now it's... ok... but I say that being absolutely not a clean freak. I suppose, objectively, it is unclean.

Mimisinger

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:24 am

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Women mikve are disgusting, but men mikve are FILTHY. NO, I don't want a guy in my mikve, THANKS.

Quote:

(personal pet peeve: communities who have a man mikve but let the women shlep, grrrrr).

Can you please say the reason? I've never heard that.

Mimisinger

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:27 am

Ruchel wrote:

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Maybe you need to talk to the Chief Rabbi is France? (I think there's one) I've been to many different mikvas in two countries. And only one was gross. One wasn't great and the rest, were very clean and nice.

Ruchel

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:31 am

Mimisinger wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Quote:

He knows, believe me. Everyone knows. There is just no money.

Ruchel

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:44 am

shalhevet wrote:

Maybe you could get together with other women and raise money for renovating the mikvas - it would be a tremendous mitzva.

The idea is good and I'll think about it.
I can't help being discouraged from start. So many mikves need renovation, so many need total rebuilt, so many need to be finished or to be started... in a way I would feel bad asking for money to renovate my mikve when some women have been waiting for 10, 20, 30 years for theirs to be finished... not exagerating, the mikve I go to took 30 years.

shalhevet

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 11:56 am

Start with one - at least they'll be one nice option. And maybe it'll inspire others to do the same in their communities. You shouldn't feel bad about working on your community first - aniyei ircha kodmin.

chaylizi

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 12:07 pm

Many mikvaos have a Rabbinical board & all the women who use it have to follow their piskei halacha, even if their Rav holds differently. I had trouble with that once, in a special circumstance. My Rav told me that they don't give any credence to a woman's personal psak, the mikvah org's Rav has to approve it. I was really annoyed then, but it only happened once & my city's mikvah is gorgeous. So I guess I can deal with it.