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The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The ... - josephprestonkirk

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JOSEPH M. BAUMGARTEN 105<br />

left everyone in a permanent state of impurity. However, <strong>the</strong> use of<br />

Miqwa)ot, <strong>the</strong> ritual pools sufficient for bodily immersion, was continued<br />

by both men <strong>and</strong> women. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> Miqweh served as a symbolic<br />

reminder of <strong>the</strong> nexus between inner <strong>and</strong> outer cleansing. Half a century<br />

after <strong>the</strong> destruction of <strong>the</strong> Temple, <strong>the</strong> illustrious Akiba dwelt on<br />

Jeremiah’s characterization of <strong>the</strong> Lord as <strong>the</strong> hwqm, “<strong>the</strong> hope of Israel”<br />

(Jer 17:13). <strong>The</strong> Lord, he observed, serves also as <strong>the</strong> hwqm <strong>the</strong> ritual<br />

pool for Israel. “Just as <strong>the</strong> Miqweh purifies <strong>the</strong> unclean, so <strong>the</strong> Holy One<br />

blessed be He purifies Israel” (m. Yoma 8, 9). With this rabbinic observation<br />

even a Qumran survivor would very likely have concurred.

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