Gamla Mikveh

A mikveh (ritual bath) at Gamla (Galilee region), first century B.C.E. or first century C.E. Photograph by Todd Bolen.

Mikvaot (mikvehs) are special baths built for ritual immersion. Traditionally, before one could enter the temple in Jerusalem and worship or offer sacrifices, one would immerse in water to become ritually pure. Even after the destruction of the temple, the practice of immersion continued, and most modern synagogues have a mikveh nearby.