Balanit ( Again)
Question
Dear Rabbi, I admired the way you took out the time to reply about the Mikve Lady. This reminds me of a discussion we had in the Kniss some time ago by few prominent rabbis about 'few current issues". One of them was a woman who drove on a Friday night to the Mikveh. She was just now beginning to approach religiosity and was still in the "bein hazmanim " stage until she is fully observant. Her husband had just arrived after 16 days from overseas. The Balanit saw her with car keys and cell phone and threw her out ! As usually happens with Jews the discussion lead to a Macholket, but if I remember correctly, the majority said that balanit was wrong and the community rabbi told her not to do such a thing again. ( He basically said that this problem is one of the reasons why women don't like to go to the Mikveh. It is a Hilul Hashem chasing women away from Hashem's Mitzvot. Perhaps the fact this was a Sephardic Rabbi had something to do with it….)
Answer
Answered by Rabbi Abadiabout the Mikve Lady. This reminds me of a discussion we had in the Kniss some time ago by few prominent rabbis about 'few current issues". One of them was a woman who drove on a Friday night to the Mikveh. She was just now beginning to approach religiosity and was still in the "bein hazmanim " stage until she is fully observant. Her husband had just arrived after 16 days from overseas. The Balanit saw her with car keys and cell phone and threw her out ! As usually happens with Jews the discussion lead to a Macholket, but if I remember correctly, the majority said that balanit was wrong and the community rabbi told her not to do such a thing again. ( He basically said that this problem is one of the reasons why women don't like to go to the Mikveh. It is a Hilul Hashem chasing women away from Hashem's Mitzvot. Perhaps the fact this was a Sephardic Rabbi had something to do with it….)