UNITED STATES
Washington Post
By Jeffrey Frances March 6 at 4:08 PM
The writer is an Orthodox rabbi and educator.
Rabbi Barry Freundel’s admitted voyeurism of women engaged in a ritual bathing central to Orthodox Judaism and, in this particular case, conversion, is truly a gross perversion and an aberration. Yet I hope this does not lead people to jump to incorrect conclusions about the institution of the mikvah or the role of rabbis within Orthodoxy.
Freundel’s crimes do not indicate a flaw in the system of the mikvah. One tragic individual abused his position for his own needs for control over those who trusted him to guide them on the path of Judaism. Nor did this case reveal a hidden problem of “peeping Tom” rabbis. Privacy and security are guiding principles in the operation of a mikvah, and each community determines specific guidelines depending on its size and needs.
Similarly, it is inaccurate to regard an Orthodox rabbi as the ultimate authority over how a mikvah is set up and run. The rabbi’s supervision is limited to ensuring the facility meets requirements for immersion depth and rainwater collection — the mikvah is essentially a body of naturally gathered waters, which may be augmented with drawn water. The rabbi may also oversee repairs or maintenance that could affect those requirements. In many mikvahs, once those decisions are complete, the most important day-to-day running of the facility is handled mostly by women.
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