The Jordan, a river of miracles-2

Ritual Purity in the Tanakh

Many Christians are surprised to learn that God instituted the practice of the mikvah in the Torah.  It is the specified means for restoring ritual purity, and it was actually performed regularly in natural bodies of water, such as springs or rivers.

The Torah mandated ritual cleansing through the mikvah for the following:

·       After tzaraat (certain skin conditions), commonly translated today as leprosy(Leviticus 14:6–9)

·       After the discharge of abnormal body fluids (Leviticus 15:13)

·       After seminal emissions following sex or related to nocturnal emissions(Leviticus 15:16)

·       Following the monthly menstrual cycle by the woman to regain her purity

·       After contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:19)

Second Temple era mikvah

·       After the ritual of the Red Heifer by the kohen (priest) who performs the ritual (Numbers 19:7–8)

·       By the kohanim (priests) during consecration (Exodus 29:4, 40:12)

·       After the scapegoat (Azazel) has been sent away on Yom Kippur by the High Priest, as well as the one who leads the goat away (Leviticus 16:24, 16:26,16:28)

Today the waters of the mikvah pools throughout the world still cleanse woman after menstruation or childbirth and men after emission of bodily fluids.  It is also traditional for a bride and grooms to use it before their wedding and for men to visit it on Erev Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Erev Rosh HaShanah (New Years).  The mikvah is also part of the conversion to Judaism process.

Taking the Bride to the Mikvah,

Qasr el Yahud

The traditional location of the spot where Yeshua was mikvahed is Qasr el Yahud or Kasser Al Yahud, Arabic for the Castle of the Jews. The ruins of a 4th–5th century Byzantine monastery and church are evidence that this location has been a place of Christian pilgrimage for centuries.The stability and safety of the British Mandate period from 1920–1948 saw the construction of many churches, chapels, and monasteries, which stretch about three kilometres (two miles) south of the site. However, an earthquake in 1956 seriously damaged the buildings.  More importantly, Jordan, whose border runs along the east bank of the river, attacked Israel after it became a nation in 1948 and occupied the west bank of the Jordan—Israel’s ancient heartland of Judea and Samaria—where Qasr el Yahud is located.

Christian pilgrims visit Qasr el Yahud.

After Arab forces once again began to gather against Israel in 1967, Israel captured the territory back from Jordan, which has since renounced its claim to the land, although the Palestinians now demand this land for an independent Palestinian state. Security with Jordan continued to be problematic up to Israel’s peace treaty with it in 1994.  Over these tenuous years, the monks gradually abandoned the churches and monasteries and, today, these ruins are inaccessible due to risk of landmines. Qasr el Yehud, however, has been recently rehabilitated and cleared of mines. After 44 years of essentially being closed, this historic site reopened to the public in 2011 and is now administered by the Israeli Civil Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Located in the wilderness of the Jordan River Valley, east of Jericho and north of the Dead Sea, it isn’t easy to get there; but once you arrive, the facilities are top notch with parking, wheelchair access, showers, and prayer facilities, as well as decking and marble stairs leading into the Jordan.

The Ark Passes Over the Jordan, by James Tissot