"My Daughter Appeared to Me in a Dream, and This is the Message She Sent Me"

Penina Burkis could not believe it was happening to her: a little more than 25 years after her daughter Shterna passed away, she appeared to her in a dream, not only appearing there but also conveying a message about the mikveh in Meron.

According to Penina, the event happened a few days after they marked the 25th anniversary of her daughter's passing, as they do every year, at a very impressive convention attended by over 500 women (via Zoom) who took upon themselves new commitments and good resolutions.

Penina recounts: "The event in memory of Shterny took place on Tuesday, and a few days later I had a strange dream, where I saw myself standing at the entrance to the mikveh in the village of Meron, Shterny next to me, and she said to me: 'Mom, the mikveh in Meron needs to be fixed, it is not okay.'

I asked her: 'What do you want from me? Fix it.' And she replied: 'I can't fix it because to fix it requires people who understand the matter,' and she also repeated: 'This mikveh is not okay.' Then she reached out her hand, took me down to the pool, and I saw it was without water. Shterny continued and took me to the rainwater reservoir and said to me: 'See? The reservoir is empty,' and again she repeated: 'The mikveh needs to be fixed.'

Penina notes that at this point the dream came to an end, as Shterny turned around, went back up the stairs, and disappeared. When Penina woke up and remembered the dream, she couldn't help but wonder - what was the connection between Shterny and the Meron mikveh, and how does she even know about it? After all, she never visited there.

"There Are Problems with the Mikveh"

Penina decided to try to find out if the dream had any truth to it, and for that purpose, she contacted Bracha Bolton, a Chabad Hasidic resident of Meron, that evening. The two chatted a bit, and after a few minutes, Penina began to inquire about the mikveh. To her surprise, Bracha responded: "There are problems."

The new and renovated mikveh

When Penina tried to investigate further, Bracha responded: "If you know, why are you asking?" She then went on to detail the significant difficulties, especially when guests visit Meron on Shabbat and plan to use the mikveh, only to experience great disappointment and distress.

Penina could no longer remain indifferent, and her next phone call was to another acquaintance in Meron, who literally burst into tears when she heard Penina was interested in the subject. "Why are you stepping on my wounds?" she asked painfully, "I've been trying to raise awareness for a long time, so that people understand the mikveh is not kosher."

Penina needed no more than that, and she began to investigate the issue herself. Upon inviting rabbis to inspect the mikveh, it became apparent that there was a problem with the water in the reservoir leaking without any visible reason. Professionals she spoke with estimated that it would take approximately 150,000 shekels to fix, a sum the council did not have.

Rabbis inspecting the mikveh

Rabbis examining the mikveh and the water pump

But Penina did not give up; she involved all potential influential parties and even managed to have special rabbis skilled in the field come to Meron to closely inspect the mikveh. As a result of the inspection, it was discovered that the water pump was faulty and could be repaired for less than initially thought.

Months of work passed, and in the last month of Nisan, the mikveh was certified according to all opinions and methods, and today it is fit for use. Penina notes with excitement that "this is nothing less than a special divine providence, in the merit of my daughter Shterny and for her soul's ascension."