Monday, July 12, 2004
The Mikveh Story
The Mikveh
Before Jonathan came to New York we spoke via IM. So he asked me, is my house glatt kosher? He was also going to stay with my parents and needed to know if their house is kosher. I said yes, our houses are kosher. He wanted to know if we had dunked our dishes in the mikveh. Well, honestly, this was news to me. I mentioned it to my parents. They said that when they made their house kosher (in 1978 when my sister and I decided that we were going to keep kosher) some Chabbad guy had come to the house, taken all the dishes away, and brought them to a mikveh. So their house was mostly covered, although who knew what dishes had been dunked and what was new. Anyway, Joni agreed to eat on paper in my house, but I couldn't cook for him. And I wanted my house to be more kosher. So we agreed he'd help me with the dishes when he got here.
When Jonathan came to New York it was the summer. I didn't know where a dish mikveh was. But Joni said we could take the dishes to any body of running water - and I live near Jones Beach. We started with the meat dishes, pots, pans, silver. We loaded up the car. My car was packed with dishes. We drove to the beach. We couldn't go to the bathing part of the beach, first because Jonathan didn't want to see girls in bikini's. But also because it would have been too far a walk from the car to the ocean with all those dishes. So I found a spot on the side of the road. We had to walk a few feet down a small hill. With all those dishes. Him in his Hasidic garb, me in my jeans. We carried all the dishes. He said a prayer, I handed him the dishes, we dunked the dishes, we broke a Tiffany bowl, we loaded up the car again, and went home. Then he was able to eat in my home.
Time passed and we decided we should dunk more dishes. Some dairy dishes, the dairy silver, and a few more pots and pans. Now it was probably right before he went to Brooklyn so it must have been late September or October. We loaded up the car again and off we went. Him in his Hasidic garb, me in my jeans. But this time I found a spot along the side of the road that didn't have a hill, where we could park closer to the water. We unloaded the car and waded into the water. He said a prayer, we dunked the dishes, loaded up the car and went home. The problem this time was that it was getting cold out. So wading into the water made us very cold. It wasn't as much fun!
Pesach. Jonathan suggests we dunk the Passover dishes. Ok. But this time we get smart. Since its April and its still cold Jonathan suggests we buy those wading boot/pants that fisherman wear. Like I said before, he is also frugal. So he didn't want us to spend too much for this escapade. I called a few bait and tackle stores and they wanted around $125 per pair. And we each needed a pair. Sports Authority had them for $15. Off we went. I bought two pair. It was a Friday. We loaded up the car with the Passover dishes, pots and pans. We took our green wading pants and went to the beach. I pulled off of the Wantagh Parkway drove right up on the beach, in my brand new Nissan Altima. I parked on the sand.
We put on our wading pants, we unloaded the car, brought the dishes to the ocean. Jonathan said a prayer, we dunked dishes. This took a really long time. The tide came in. The car got stuck. THE CAR GOT STUCK. Good thing I had my cell phone and belong to Triple A. I called Triple A to tow the car. I called my mom. Didn't tell her where I was, most of my family thought my activities with Jonathan were just crazy. But I asked her to take my daughter to her gymnastics class. (Thank G-d for my mom. She's just amazing). The tow truck came and didn't even ask what we were doing there. I came home, washed all the dishes. I think Jonathan got stuck at our house for shabbat since it got so late and he didn't have time to go home.
At the Seder, my cousin Rebecca wanted to know why she had seaweed on her wine glass. And my husband wanted to know what all the sand was doing in the car. He was not a fan of taking all the dishes to the beach.
Jonathan at the beach wearing his wading pants.
Before Jonathan came to New York we spoke via IM. So he asked me, is my house glatt kosher? He was also going to stay with my parents and needed to know if their house is kosher. I said yes, our houses are kosher. He wanted to know if we had dunked our dishes in the mikveh. Well, honestly, this was news to me. I mentioned it to my parents. They said that when they made their house kosher (in 1978 when my sister and I decided that we were going to keep kosher) some Chabbad guy had come to the house, taken all the dishes away, and brought them to a mikveh. So their house was mostly covered, although who knew what dishes had been dunked and what was new. Anyway, Joni agreed to eat on paper in my house, but I couldn't cook for him. And I wanted my house to be more kosher. So we agreed he'd help me with the dishes when he got here.
When Jonathan came to New York it was the summer. I didn't know where a dish mikveh was. But Joni said we could take the dishes to any body of running water - and I live near Jones Beach. We started with the meat dishes, pots, pans, silver. We loaded up the car. My car was packed with dishes. We drove to the beach. We couldn't go to the bathing part of the beach, first because Jonathan didn't want to see girls in bikini's. But also because it would have been too far a walk from the car to the ocean with all those dishes. So I found a spot on the side of the road. We had to walk a few feet down a small hill. With all those dishes. Him in his Hasidic garb, me in my jeans. We carried all the dishes. He said a prayer, I handed him the dishes, we dunked the dishes, we broke a Tiffany bowl, we loaded up the car again, and went home. Then he was able to eat in my home.
Time passed and we decided we should dunk more dishes. Some dairy dishes, the dairy silver, and a few more pots and pans. Now it was probably right before he went to Brooklyn so it must have been late September or October. We loaded up the car again and off we went. Him in his Hasidic garb, me in my jeans. But this time I found a spot along the side of the road that didn't have a hill, where we could park closer to the water. We unloaded the car and waded into the water. He said a prayer, we dunked the dishes, loaded up the car and went home. The problem this time was that it was getting cold out. So wading into the water made us very cold. It wasn't as much fun!
Pesach. Jonathan suggests we dunk the Passover dishes. Ok. But this time we get smart. Since its April and its still cold Jonathan suggests we buy those wading boot/pants that fisherman wear. Like I said before, he is also frugal. So he didn't want us to spend too much for this escapade. I called a few bait and tackle stores and they wanted around $125 per pair. And we each needed a pair. Sports Authority had them for $15. Off we went. I bought two pair. It was a Friday. We loaded up the car with the Passover dishes, pots and pans. We took our green wading pants and went to the beach. I pulled off of the Wantagh Parkway drove right up on the beach, in my brand new Nissan Altima. I parked on the sand.
We put on our wading pants, we unloaded the car, brought the dishes to the ocean. Jonathan said a prayer, we dunked dishes. This took a really long time. The tide came in. The car got stuck. THE CAR GOT STUCK. Good thing I had my cell phone and belong to Triple A. I called Triple A to tow the car. I called my mom. Didn't tell her where I was, most of my family thought my activities with Jonathan were just crazy. But I asked her to take my daughter to her gymnastics class. (Thank G-d for my mom. She's just amazing). The tow truck came and didn't even ask what we were doing there. I came home, washed all the dishes. I think Jonathan got stuck at our house for shabbat since it got so late and he didn't have time to go home.
At the Seder, my cousin Rebecca wanted to know why she had seaweed on her wine glass. And my husband wanted to know what all the sand was doing in the car. He was not a fan of taking all the dishes to the beach.
Jonathan at the beach wearing his wading pants.
