Once when Hillel concluded his lesson and began walking away, his disciples asked him "Master, where are you going?" He answered, "To do a mitsvah (commandment)." They said to him, "And what is the mitsvah you are going to do?" He answered, "To take a bath in the bath house." "That's a mitsvah?!" they exclaimed. "Yes," he said. "The images of kings are placed in their theaters and circuses. The one appointed to look after these images scrubs and washes them and they [the kings] pay his wages. Not only that, but he is honored like one of the nobles of the kingdom. Now we who have been created in the image and likeness of God, as it is written, 'for in His image did God make man' [Genesis 9:6], how much more [should we scrub and wash ourselves]." [Leviticus Rabbah 34:3]
Our building has been closed for remodeling for the last 6 weeks, so we have not been able to offer showers to the refugees we work with this summer until yesterday. One of our teammates opened up her home and we invited 5 Afghan women and 11 children in for the afternoon to wash their clothes and take showers. The picture to the right is what happens when twin girls find a bucket of water on a warm afternoon, but I thought it best depicted the joy that comes on a day of "holy" scrubbing and washing.
So what does a "shower day" look like? The men are banished. The head scarves come off. The chatter is all in Farsi. The toddlers are on the balcony. One is riding a small Fisher Price car...she is driving to Germany. Another is riding a rocking horse chasing the car. The older children are inside coloring and watching a video. One woman and her children are in the shower. Other women are waiting their turn. Yet another woman is combing out wet hair. The washing machine is humming. Later we order lunch and have souvlaki delivered. The day is hot. The breeze is warm. Laughter is in the air. It is a good day.
