Tips

1. Could you share with me the events leading up to your decision to dip in the ocean before Yom Kippur for cleansing purposes?

 

We always try to dip before the holidays and before Yom Kippur. My dad wanted to go into the ocean so that we could all experience it together at the beach, and that's why we typically do that.

 

2. What thoughts were going through your mind as you entered the water that day?

 

The thoughts entering my mind were that it was cold. I just wanted to go in as shallow as possible to get my full body in there and then come right out, but at the same time, to cleanse myself in preparation for the holiday.

 

3. How did you initially realize that you were caught in a riptide while in the water?

 

I did not realize that I was caught in a riptide until after I was finished dipping. When I finished dipping, my brother said, "Oh, you're pretty deep." And then I tried to get my shorts on and swim back in, and that's when I realized that I was just getting pulled deeper and deeper.

 

 

4. Can you describe the physical sensations you felt as you struggled against the riptide?

 

The physical sensations were that I was trying to swim, and I was not getting anywhere. I don't know if there were physical sensations beyond just saying, okay, I'm trying to swim in here, and I'm not really getting to where I need to go.

 

5. Can you describe the feeling of being caught in a riptide while trying to cleanse yourself in the ocean before Yom Kippur?

 

The feeling of being caught in the riptide happened after I cleansed– after I dipped. In the beginning, I just noticed how interesting it was that I was trying to swim in, and I couldn't. This never happened to me before. Then, as time went on, I realized how dangerous things were getting, how I really wasn't able to get in, and how people weren't able to come to save me. That's when a lot of fear crept in. Fear and panic started creeping in as more and more time went by while I was sitting in the ocean.

 

6. What thoughts or prayers were going through your mind?

 

I was focused very much on getting back in, and the only thoughts in my mind were how to get back in. It wasn't until I started treading water, and then I turned around, and then I said, okay. You know, Hashem, please. And, it was at that point that Hashem saved me.

 

7. How did you manage to stay calm and find a way out of the dangerous situation?

 

I was not so calm in this situation. I did try to swim parallel to the water. That didn't do much. I would say I got pushed. We entered the beach, and I got pushed about 150-200 feet deep and around 300 feet to the right from where I entered the water. I didn't stay calm. The only reason I was able to find a way out of this situation was because Hashem blessed me with being able to stand at some point when I asked him for help. That was frankly it. I did not get myself out of the situation. No human being helped me out of the situation. It was purely and only Hashem, an open miracle during that one minute. One second, treading water and asking for his help. And the next second, I was standing up in water below my knees.

 

8. What lessons did you take away from that experience of near-drowning in the ocean before Yom Kippur and what recommendations would you make to others who may want to immerse in the ocean for this ritual?

 

The lessons I took, first and foremost, are that Hashem is in control and that Hashem is the only thing that can save you. We may go to a doctor for help. At the end of the day, it's Hashem working through that doctor. And Hashem had the ocean come. I'm grateful that the ocean let me out, and Hashem brought the sand up to my feet and allowed me to stand. It wasn't until I brought my attention to Hashem that I was saved.

 

There were many people on the beach with me, watching me, and they couldn't do anything. In terms of safety lessons, what I learned is that even if you have a lifeguard on the beach, if the lifeguard doesn't have a flotation device to come in with you and keep you afloat while you're out there, it means nothing. He can't physically bring you back in. It's too difficult.

 

 I learned that if you're going in the ocean, you have to make sure that there's a beach lifeguard on the scene. Because when I looked at the water, I couldn't tell it was rough at all. Someone even took a video of the ocean after, and it didn't look rough, but there was a very serious undertow. So, I also learned that I can't judge the ocean. I'm on the beach every Sunday, and I still don't know how to judge the water–it's very difficult to judge it. I learned that I'm powerless out there in the ocean, and the ocean is in full control.

 

Even if there's a beach lifeguard on the scene, I learned that I must go in with a flotation device, but  I'm very, very scared to even do this right now. And I think going forward, in terms of rituals, it almost feels like Sakanas Nefashos (endangering one's life). Although we're trying to do a good thing by dipping in the ocean, I believe it's putting our lives at risk when there's no beach lifeguard on the scene. I think that for me, it's more appropriate to do this mitzvah of dipping and cleansing before the holidays, in a mikveh or somewhere safer.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​