Guide
Visiting the Temple
By Carol Bakhos
A variety of sources testify that Second Temple–era Jews would travel to the Temple on various occasions, including the three pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot (see FESTIVALS AND SABBATH OBSERVANCE); personal events requiring sacrificial offerings, such as childbirth or release from a vow; and occasions of personal or collective thanksgiving. Visitors would bring offerings and would undergo ritual purification before entering the Temple grounds. Visits on festive occasions could involve celebratory processions and songs of praise or thanksgiving.
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