he Plunge

abbi Elimelech Silberberg knows the road
to ritual observance is long and bumpy for
some. But he also believes it is one worth
traveling.
In an effort to encourage people to make
that journey, his shul, the Sara Tugman
Bais Chabad Torah Center of West Bloom-
field, recently invested thousands of dol-
lars to spruce up its mikvah (ritual bath).
A grand reopening, complete with an in-
ternational mikvah expert who will per-
form a skit showing the importance of the
ritual for family purity, is scheduled for
Sunday.
"One of our services to the community
is the mikvah," he said, adding that oth-
er outreach services include a learning
center and a library. "Keeping the Sab-
bath, kashruth and taharas hamish-
pachah (laws of family purity) — these

have always been the three pillars of Jew-
ish ritual commandments."
While the entire Torah Center under-
went renovation and was expanded to
twice its previous size, special attention
was paid to the mikvah, in part to attract
a greater number of women to use the
mikvah for the mitzvah of family purity.
"We really want to encourage women
to use the mikvah," said Miriam Shear, a
congregant who has been involved with
the mikvah renovation.
Ms. Shear said one-third of the 50 or so
women who use the renovated mikvah on
a monthly basis are not Orthodox and
may not follow the traditions of keeping
a koshdr home or following the rules of

Miriam Shear hopes more women will use the
improved mikvah.

•■ ••••-

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the Sabbath. But by making the commit-
ment to performing the mitzvah of the
mikvah, the indivithials perhaps will take
measures to follow a more observant
lifestyle.
"We take the approach that we want
the people to do the mitzvah even though
we recognize that it won't be done cor-
rectly," Ms. Shear said. 'We would hope
that by performing the mitzvah — even
in an incorrect way — it will lead them to
doing the mitzvah in a totally correct way,
and then they will get the most benefit."
Renovation of the mikvah began last
year. Since that time, walls have been tak-
en down to the studs and fitted with spe-
cial drywall sheets designed for areas with
significant condensation; tile has been re-
placed; and a new exhaust system has
been installed to cut down on mold and