Shortly before midday, the sectarians halted work in order to purify themselves through ritual immersion, an essential condition for participation in the communal meal. The immersion was mainly performed in the ritual baths (miqva'ot) located near the refectory. The practice of ritual immersion was widespread among Jews in the Second Temple period, but the sect's purificatory practices were unique in two respects: (1) Immersion was only permitted to members of the sect. (2) Just as priests immersed themselves regularly before serving in the sanctuary, as prescribed in the Bible, the sectarians immersed themselves before each communal meal, in order to ensure the purity of all participants. To the sectarians, ritual immersion was associated with repentance and spiritual purity, a concept that has a clear parallel in the theology of John the Baptist. The importance that the sectarians attached to purity in their everyday lives is further attested by the various types of stoneware that were found at Qumran, which according to Jewish law do not become impure. Another example is a mattock, which fits Josephus' description of the tool used by the Essenes to preserve hygienic conditions after relieving themselves.