5 Towns yoetzet tackles mikveh myths

In her role as Five Towns yoetzet halacha, Lisa Septimus is working to dispel some of the myths associated with taharat hamishpadcha (laws of family purity).

Discussing “Ten Myths That Stand Between You and the Mikveh,” before an audience of women at Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence, Septimus dealt with “common misconceptions … like regarding nidah (menstrual impurity) as disgusting, technical aspects such as how to count the seven clean days properly, and misconceptions of preparation.”

“This is an understudied area of halacha (Jewish law),” she told The Jewish Star. “People are much more exposed to kashrut and Shabbat than nidah. There is a need for a yoetzet in this area of law to further educate and encourage women to observe the laws better and understand it better, and how the mitzvah could be a more dignified and uplifting experience..”

A yoetzet is a woman specially trained and certified to advise women in these areas.

Septimus is a Judaic studies teacher at North Shore Hebrew Academy H.S. and Rebbetzin at Young Israel of North Woodmere. She earned her B.A. at Brandeis University where she wrote her thesis on halachik solutions to the problem of agunot.

She studied at Drisha for one year on a fellowship in Jewish education and then transferred, in its first year, to Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Study. She earned an M.A. in Tanach from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School.

When Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem, brought its yoatzot halacha program to Ma’ayanot Yeshiva H.S. for Girls in Teaneck, Septimus signed up. She attended the intensive part time program of study over two years and three summers under the guidance of Rabbi Gedaliah Berger, the overseeing rabbi who teaches at Stern College.

During the course of study, the students cover extensive halachic material and “at the very end they flew us to Israel — five women — to be tested orally at Nishmat by four rabbis,” Septimus said. “It was the most nerve wracking experience in my life but exhilarating, in a positive way.”

As the yoetzet for the Five Towns, women are free to call her and ask questions pertaining to the laws of family purity and related concerns. If she knows the answer she will answer it; if not she will refer to a local rav with the perspective of the woman asking the question. If it is an issue needing a psak and requires a halachik decisor, she will approach Rabbi Mordechai Willig in Riverdale or Rabbi Kenneth Auman of Flatbush, the dean of the American program. She noted that she once called Rabbi Yaakov Varhaftig, the dean of the Israeli program.

“I always had a love of learning and welcomed the opportunity to go back and learn seriously,” she explained.

Septmus grew up in Westchester, attended Westchester Day School, Ramaz H.S. and Midreshet Moriah. She pointed out that her thesis at Brandeis, where she majored in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, was still relevant, noting three points she covered — prenuptial agreements, the New York Get Laws, and hafkaat kedushin (annulments).

Septimus encouraged women to participate in a women’s health and halacha day planned for Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Young Israel of Woodmere.

Women with questions may contact Lisa Septimus at 516 900-2109 between 3:30 to 5 pm or between 8:30 to 9:30 pm or at 5townsyoetzet@gmail.com