mikveh ladies
Question
Never had a mikveh lady tell me to have a bellybutton amputation, but I and several of my Sephardi friends have been required on many occasions to soak our hands and feet in Clorox (yes!! I am not kidding) to remove the "dark spots" around the cuticle (like maybe if I just soak in Clorox I will turn white) before immersion. Our husbands know we really love them!! (this is not a joke, I am serious, this is the truth, really).
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiAllow me to apologize for those Mikva ladies. They sincerely believe they are doing the right thing. The ideal situation would be that, if someone wants to do something that is not according to the "policies" of that Mikva, someone can call her Rov to explain the situation and get an approval from her Rov. We don't all have the same Rov, hence we don't all follow the same "policies" (sometimes known as Halochos). The Mikva in Miami has that policy and I know that it has successfully allowed for some to start this great Mitzva comfortably. There are many other communities in the US that follow this policy. I don't know why some try to impose their Chumrot on others, especially those that are obviously, not ready for that level. Rav Moshe Feinstein says that even a husband do not have the right to impose a chumra on his wife! (if your skin gets colored white from the clorox, it would possibly be a real chatzitza, because you don't want it. :-)) CYA PS If Michael Jackson only knew of this clorox trick, he could have saved a lot of money and pain. AA