Ritual purity has always been a treasured mitzvah for the Jewish people, evidenced by the numerous ancient mikvahs discovered by archeologists throughout the Land of Israel, the Mediterranean basin, and Europe. Wherever Jews settled, they built mikvahs.
Last week, we took a tour of some of the world's most beautiful mikvahs. This week, we will explore some of the oldest.
While the primary function of the mikvah today is to allow a husband and wife to be together after menstruation, during the Temple era ritual purity was also necessary for many other aspects of everyday life, including entering the Temple Mount, handling sacred foods (such as Temple offerings and the priestly gifts), or even handling food that would be eaten on a high order of purity. For this reason, mikvahs were often found near olive and wine presses, in addition to in homes and near the actual Temple complex.