Tiberias

Rashi quotes our Sages’ observation [Bereishit Rabba, 33:4] that at the end of the Flood, not all springs were plugged up, since those which are necessary for the world were not closed. The example presented by the Midrash is the Tiberias Hot Springs.

While there are numerous hot springs within Israel, it is not surprising that the Sages refer specifically to the springs of Tiberias,  since they were in the city the Sages lived. Following the defeat of the Bar Kochva revolt (135 CE) the Romans made it a capital crime for a Jew to enter Jerusalem and the vicinity, and the Galil became the center of Jewish life in Israel, with Tiberias being the most important city. In fact, Tiberias was home to the greatest yeshiva of Eretz Yisrael during the Talmudic Period. Thus, our Sages were very familiar with the hot springs at the southern end of Tiberias.

At the Tiberias Hot Springs National Park, one can see (and smell) the water of the hot springs. A highlight of the national park is the remains of an ancient synagogue, with beautiful mosaic floors.