Divorced, immersion for spiritual reasons

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August 15, 2013

Question

I'm a divorced woman and mother of two. I was brought up as secular, but most recently have been reflecting on my Jewish life. I was wondering if a woman who is divorced and doesn't have a husband can still go to mikveh to experience the spiritual aspect. I've never been to the mikveh; however, I would like to experience it as a spiritual act. I'm not sure if I should approach somebody in my community, so decided to write here.
Thank you

Answer

In general, single women (including divorced and widowed women) may not immerse in the mikvah. However, some communities do permit immersion on erev Yom Kippur (possibly erev Rosh Hashanah as well) as an act of spiritual cleansing. You can check with your local mikvah, or with a friend or mentor, to find out if this is possible in your community. We hope you will be able to take advantage of this upcoming opportunity to experience immersion the mikvah.

Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.

We wish you much hatzlacha!