How many ritual immersions did the rabbis count for the High Priest during the Yom Kippur Temple service? Five.
Rabbinic tradition counted five ritual immersions by the High Priest during the Yom Kippur Temple service. He immersed when changing between his ordinary golden garments and the special white linen garments used for the most sacred parts of the ritual.
The changes of clothing marked transitions between different stages of the day’s work, including the daily offering, entry into the Holy of Holies, and later offerings. After each immersion, the High Priest also washed his hands and feet before continuing the service. Rabbinic sources count ten such sanctifications alongside the five immersions.
The number can seem confusing because the biblical sequence and later rabbinic interpretation are discussed differently in Jewish sources. The question specifically asks what the rabbis counted, making five the canonical answer. These immersions belonged to the Temple-era service and are now remembered through study and the Avodah section of Yom Kippur liturgy.