Taharat Hamishpacha, Toivel & Tahara: Remembering Mrs. Bluma Gruber z"l

In Waters of Eden: The Mystery of the Mikvah, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan :

“A friend of mine, who has visited Russia many time, tells of a secret meeting he had with a young jewish family in a Russian city. After an involved discussion of the problems facing the community, my friend gained the confidence of the husband, a tall, sturdy man named Yaakov. As my friend was preparing to leave, Yaakov said, “wait, I have something that I would like to show you.”
He took my friend to the clothing closet. Before opening the door, almost instinctively, he looked over his shoulder, as if to make sure that no unwelcome eyes were watching. Satisfied it was safe, Yaacov opened the closet, moved aside a number of boxes, and carefully lifted up a false floor. Under the floorboards, there was a staircase, leading to a open pool. “this is the city’s Mikvah,” he proudly announced, “over forty families make use of it.”
Yaacov then told my friend of the dangers involved in building that mikvah. No religious facilities could be built without express government permission. Otherwise it was subject to the direst of penalties. Besides, the house was government property, and if caught, he would face a long prison sentence for “defacing” it.
Gradually – almost cautiously – he began to tell how the Mikvah was built. All the work had to be done in the utmost secrecy. No one, even his closest friends and neighbors, could know what he was doing. Only a small amount of digging could be done under the house each day, so that the dirt could be disposed of without arousing suspicion. Small quantities of cement – “for making repairs” – were purchased, until there was enough to line the Mikvah. A similar subterfuge had to be used to obtain pipes for the plumbing. In addition, the rigorous requirements of Jewish Law had to be satisfied. This is difficult enough under any circumstances, even if secrecy is not a paramount consideration.
Not until the Mikvah was completed did Yaacov dare tell anyone about t. At first, his closest friends shared the secret. Gradually, one by one, other families were invited to make use of the hidden Mikvah. Most of them did not believe it possible – but they came anyway,. Before long, Yaacov;s “top secret project: had become the community Mikvah.
A year after this meeting, Yaacov and his family were finally able to emigrate to Israel. All of his children had remained observant Jews, even though they were born and raised in Russia.
When asked why he had undertaken all the expense and danger to build a mikvah, Yaacov explained, “without it, I could not live as a Jew.” (Kaplan, p. 1-2, 1976).

"Total Immersion" by Rivkah Slonim

"The primary uses of Mikvah today are delineated in Jewish law and date back to the dawn of Jewish history. they cover many elements of Jewish life. Mikvah is an integral part of conversion to Judaism. Mikvah is used, though less widely known, for the immersion of new pots, dishes and utensils (purchased or obtained from a non-Jew) before they are used by a Jew. The mikvah concept is also the focal point of the Taharah, the purification rite of a Jew before the person is laid to rest and the soul ascends on high, The manual pouring water - in a highly specific manner - over the enture body of the deceased seves this purpose. ... But the most important and general usage of mikvah is for purification by the menstruant woman" (p. xxvi).

On Repentance, Rav Soloveitchek:

Sin removes the divine halo from a man's head, impairing his spiritual integrity. Kapparah is principally connected to the bringing of sacrifices, and in the Holy temple the prescribed time for offering were during daylight hours. Ritual purification begins with nightfall, when a new day is born. Purification is conditional upon our drawing near and standing directly "before God", and as such it is a spiritually uplifting experience. True Teshuvah not only erases the penalty of sin, it should also bring about purification from spiritual pollution liberating man from his hard headed insensitivity. Teshuvah restores a man's spiritual viability and rehabilitates him to his original state (p. 52).

“A Hedge of Roses”, Rabbi Norman Lamm:

“… taharah or purification is a reversal of the process of tum’ah. Just as tumah implies death, teharah implies life. And it is the mikvah, above all, that symbolizes the affirmation of life. For it is water that is the most potent symbol of life. “and the spirit of God hovered above the face of the water” (Gen 1:2). Fresh water is itself called, in hebrew, mayyim hayyim, “living water”. The Torah teaches that water covered the face of the entire earth and was the most abundant prominent substance in the world until god separated the waters (Gen. 1:2,6)… Without water, life cannot be sustained. (Lamm, p. 84-85, 1987).

Spiritual Purification, "Made in Heaven", Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan:

"The word niddah has no implication of dirtiness or uncleanliness. Rather, it comes from the root nadad, meaning removed or separated. The status of niddah therefore means that the woman must be removed or separated, and that they must forgo all physical contact during this period. Thus, the word niddah does not even have the connotation of menstruation, but of the need for separation" (p. 74-75).

"It is important to realize that although the mikvah is often referred to as "purification", it is really much more than that. Immersing in the mikvah is considered spiritual rebirth" (p. 77).

Examples: High priest in Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, convert, wedding day

"... The mikvah has the power to change a person completely ... In many ways the mikvah represents the womb" (p. 77).

Taharat Hamishpacha "Jewish Marriage: A Halahkic Ethic" by Rabbi Reuven Bulka

"Taharat hamishpacha translates literally as "the purity of the family". Taharat hamishpacha is more the description of a theme than merely a description of the laws involved ... Though it is the woman on whim the major onus of the laws is placed, the entire taharat hamishpacha process enhances and uplifts the whole family .... (p. 110).

The Tahara

One of the most important elements of a proper Jewish burial is the Tahara, preparing the body by the Chevra Kaddisha for its final rest, until the Resurrection of the Dead in the era of Moshiach. There is no mystery to the Tahara. It is a simple, yet dignified ritual that allows the person to meet his Maker with the utmost respect and dignity.

A proper Tahara includes cleansing, ritually washing, and dressing the deceased's body. Those who perform this Chesed Shel Emet (true act of kindness) recite special prayers, beseeching G-d to lift the soul into the Heavens and eternal rest.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/367843/jewish/The-Taharah.htm

Preparing the body — Taharah
There are three major stages to preparing the body for burial: washing (rechitzah), ritual purification (taharah), and dressing (halbashah). The term taharah is used to refer both to the overall process of burial preparation, and to the specific step of ritual purification.

1. Prayers and readings from Torah, including Psalms, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah are recited.
2. The general sequence of steps for performing taharah is as follows.
3. The body (guf) is uncovered (it has been covered with a sheet awaiting taharah).
4. The body is washed carefully. Any bleeding is stopped and all blood is buried along with the deceased. The body is thoroughly cleaned of dirt, body fluids, and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin. All jewelry is removed. The beard (if present) is not shaved.
5. The body is purified with water, either by immersion in a mikveh or by pouring a continuous stream of 9 kavim (usually 3 buckets) in a prescribed manner.
6. The body is dried (according to most customs).
7. The body is dressed in traditional burial clothing (tachrichim). A sash (avnet) is wrapped around the clothing and tied in the form of the Hebrew letter shin, representing one of the names of God.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereavement_in_Judaism#Chevra_kadisha

Purity and Danger (1966) Mary Douglas:

‘In water everything is dissolved, every ‘form’ is broken up, everything that has happened ceases to exist: nothing that was before remains after immersion in water, not an outline, not a ‘sign’, not an event. Immersion is the equivalent, at the human level, of death at the cosmic level, of the cataclysm which periodically dissolves the world into the primeval ocean. Breaking up all forms, doing away with the past, water possess this power of purifying, of regenerating, of giving new birth ...Water purifies and regenerates because it nullifies the past, and restores- even if only for a moment- the integrity of the dawn of things.’