Message from the CEO of Oram Mikvahs – Mr. Yair Oz
In Parashat Bereshit, at the beginning of the story of creation, G-d commands (1:9):
“And G-d said, ‘Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear,’ and it was so.”
“The water…gather into one place” – G-d commands that the first mikvah in the world be created, by gathering the water “into one place.” In this manner, He commands for the dry land to appear. This is where the rest of the creations will live – from the inanimate to the plants, the animals and finally, man.” (Zohar Chadash, Bereshit 500)
Rabbi Yitzchak said: At this time, the water covered up the land that it was upon. G-d said to the water, “No – you should gather into one place and expose the dry land.” Meaning, the land was at a previous point between these waters, dry and without moisture, for the verse does not say “dry land,” but rather “the dry land” (the word “the” shows that this dry land existed beforehand).
The water would advance and rise up, then crash down and make noise up to the heavens, until G-d rebuked it and put it into the depths. That is where the mikvah of water is, and to this day, its voice was not silenced. He called it water, and when it rises up there in that place, its might is broken, and it descends and doesn’t come out to the surface, for fear of G-d’s might. This is what the verse is referring to when it says, “More than the voices of great waters and more than the mightiest breakers of the sea, G-d is mighty on high.”
King David said, “You are the one who created the entire world and You created the water. The water could cover the world due to its great amount, yet You made it gather and limit itself to one place. Thus, may it be Your will that Your divine presence, which fills the entire world, will limit itself in Your house, for it is worthier for it to rest there…” (ibid, 508)
When we build or renovate a mikvah, gathering the water into one place, we are partners to the Creator’s act of “gathering the water into one place.” These “waters of creation” are not made by man’s own strength. The mikvah is the place where the process of man’s creation begins, in holiness and purity, like the creation of the world.
The verse continues, “And G-d called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and G-d saw that it was good.” The Or HaChaim explains: “The words ‘G-d saw that it was good’ also refer to the gathering of the waters, for this is the source of the world’s vitality and existence – like the rain that comes to the world.” Words cannot suffice to describe the miracles and blessings that both families and individuals experienced, which to them were tantamount to a new world being created for them.
I can personally say that my wife and I, after waiting 11 years for a child and after so many prayers, segulot and difficult treatments, dedicated ourselves and our money to renovating the Gilgal mikvah in Ramat Gan together with the Mashiach family. As soon as it opened, we were privileged to embrace a daughter of our own – for us, a new world was created. We understand that all of the material things in our world – children, livelihood, health, etc. – are dependent on the mikvah.
I pray to G-d that we will merit to increase the number of mikvahs in Israel and worldwide, bringing blessed abundance to all of us.