It's Temple time

The controversy continues over efforts to rebuild Judaism's holiest site.

By DAVID SMITH
Built by King Solomon about 950 BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE because of flagrant sin in the nation, the Temple was rebuilt about 70 years later but razed by the Romans in 70 CE... this time, according to the Talmud, because of causeless hatred of one Jew for another. It's difficult for modern man to understand what the Temple was: A material dwelling place for the immaterial God, visible proof that God was with His people. It was a site suffused by the Holy Spirit, where, according to the Talmud, 10 standing miracles could be witnessed by all visitors, and to which all the nations are destined to flock in order to experience the divine. When the Second Temple was lost, the whole world was darkened. For millennia Jews have remembered and mourned the destruction of the Temple on Tisha Be'Av by fasting and reading Lamentations, and by traditions such as crushing a glass at weddings or leaving a patch of wall opposite the entrance to one's home unpainted - each stressing that no joy can be perfect or complete without the Temple. Talmud scholar Rabbi Yochanan wrote: "During these times that the Temple is demolished, a person is not allowed to fill his mouth with laughter. This is because the verse (Psalms 126) says, 'then our mouths will be filled with laughter,' and does not say 'now our mouths will be filled with laughter.' The rabbi continues: "And when is 'then?' 'Then' will be when the Third Temple is rebuilt." Many believe that just as the re-establishment of Israel moved from being an ancient prophecy to a whispered prayer to a dream to a wild hope to a controversial movement and finally blossomed into a stunning, miraculous though still incomplete reality, so too will the Temple - the jewel in the crown of God's nation - move from the pages of the Bible into the here and now. Two thousand years of persecution and exile will become as insubstantial as smoke, and "we shall be as people in a dream." Rabbi Chaim Richman is one such man. His reason is as simple as it is profound: "Jewish life without the Temple is like fish out of water." Head of the Temple Institute's International Department and author of 10 books on the subject, Richman is arguably the English-speaking world's foremost authority on the Temple. He explains: "Do you realize that 202 of our 613 commandments [in the Tanach, or Old Testament] require the Temple's existence in order to be fulfilled? Without the Temple, Judaism is a skeleton of what it's supposed to be." Consequently, the Temple Institute began in 1987 with the long-term objective of rebuilding the Temple... nothing mystical, nothing symbolic, but the actual building, with all its attendant vessels. The institute will employ no violent or unlawful means to achieve this goal, but is presently involved in education, research and the construction of ritual objects for use in the future Temple. Richman relates a story about institute founder Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, a paratrooper who helped liberate the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, in June 1967. A Jordanian Muslim led the soldiers around the Mount, explaining where the Temple and other fixtures such as the menora and altar had stood. When asked why he was being so helpful, the guide explained: "We have a tradition that one day the Jews would win a war and rebuild the temple. This is my contribution. I assume you're starting tomorrow." Called lunatics, zealots and racists by some, the Temple Institute staff maintains there is nothing more natural for faithful Jews than to make practical, physical preparations for the third Temple. Chaim Richman counters his accusers: "The hallmark of the Third Temple is unparalleled peace and harmony. I believe that the best a Jew can do is to have the integrity to believe and do as much as possible toward building the Temple." According to Rabbi Richman, the first step is soul-searching. "The answer involves returning to our spiritual roots. This amounts to building up the Holy Temple. It's the vehicle that builds reconciliation between God and Man … not just Jewish people." Currently the Temple Institute wants "to rekindle the flame of the Holy Temple in the hearts of mankind." This occurs through education which he hopes will prompt a spiritual rebirth. Toward that end, the institute invests about $500,000 yearly in publications, tours and seminars as well as maintenance of its website - one of Israel's most thorough and best maintained. But the long-term goal, in Richman's words, is "to do all in our limited power to bring about the building of the Holy Temple in our time." It prompts many questions. Much of the misunderstanding stems from the manner in which that goal will be attained. Even among Orthodox Judaism there's much disagreement on the topic. According to Temple Institute Director Yehuda Glick, many devout Jews believe the Temple "will come down somehow from Heaven." He insists a legend like that can be very hard to overcome, even though no Jewish sources (biblical or rabbinic) support it. "We must understand that heavenly doesn't automatically mean mystical, or magic. During the Six Day War, the people of Israel were facing a major catastrophe and, in human eyes, we had no chance; we were to be wiped out. In six days we overcame enemies on every border and reunited Jerusalem as the capital of the state. That is no less a miracle," Glick preaches, stressing human action was vital. "So too when we look back at 1938 [the Holocaust] and see we were almost wiped out, who would have believed we were just 10 years from seeing the words of the prophets coming out of the Book and materializing? We have total faith that we are to do what we are obligated to do. He has His ways of surprising us, but it must come from a wide-range call and action." Glick maintains that this is equally true when it comes to building "The House of Prayer for All Nations." RABBI MOSHE Silberscheim, professor of rabbinic literature at both Jerusalem University College and Hebrew Union, affirms the educational efforts of the Temple Institute. "I think the institute has educational value, helping children to see with their own eyes what they read about in the Bible and Mishnah. It has value in helping them visualize what the sacred service was like during the Second Temple period." Silberscheim does have misgivings "once the institute goes beyond teaching history, heritage and sacred texts, and starts talking about building the third Temple." The source of Silberscheim's reservations concern the manner in which the Temple will be established. Currently a Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock, sits atop the anticipated site. Moving to clear the path for the building of a third Temple "is tantamount to starting World War III. This is hardly an auspicious way to fulfill the biblical verse in Isaiah 56: 'For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.'" Pastor Al Nucciarone of Jerusalem Baptist Church insists "the Jewish people have every right in the world to pursue the planning for the Temple." But Nucciarone does add caveats: "Of course, there is a debate over where the temple should be placed. Right now, Muslims hold the right to the Temple Mount, and that right must be respected. It would be sheer speculation to suggest that the Third Temple would be built on the present Temple Mount." Still, the pastor has "no problem with Christian Zionists contributing to this work. Of course, I do not think it should replace what one gives to his local congregation." As to just how the temple will be rebuilt, he responds: "How will this come about? I don't do scenarios. I'm not shying away from the question. The Temple is not up to the Temple Institute, but up to the people of Israel. They have a representative government. Whether they'll act in accordance with what it means to be a Jew, I don't know." Richman wants it stressed, however, that nothing in this article or in institute literature should be taken as a solicitation for funds. During a visit to the Temple Mount, Richman notes a bulldozer. Another member of the party mentions it's driven by a Muslim, prompting chagrin as recent tractor-propelled terrorism in Jerusalem is remembered. In spite of this, Richman ventures the Temple can be built without violence. He quotes the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who said: "If we were the people we're supposed to be, the Muslims would come to us and ask, 'Please build us a Temple.'" Minutes later Richman is asked about the timetable for construction. Richman, an ordained rabbi who quotes Rambam on Temple matters but draws popular wisdom from "rabbis" Mark Twain or Yogi Berra, laughs as he says, "I don't know, but I think we're behind schedule." Until construction is possible, the Temple Institute is focusing its energies on education and preparing the vessels that will be required. A team of researchers, rabbis and scientists work together to ensure the needed items match all scriptural and rabbinic criteria. Beyond those standards, the craftsmen have artistic license to construct vessels as they deem appropriate. "It's a very complex process," Richman explains. "Some items have taken over 10 years of research. We have groups of scholars who sift through superfluous information regarding concepts that have become completely forgotten or of which little is known. We are taking a section of Torah wisdom and reactivating it." Knowledge of the construction of Temple objects is so obscure that "many people have asked us if we're allowed to do it. They ask, 'Isn't God supposed to do that?'" Construction of the High Priest's breastplate is a good example of the complexity involved. According to Exodus 28, the garment had to be woven of "gold, sky-blue, dark-red, and crimson dyed wool, and of twisted linen." Metalsmiths beat the gold into thin sheets, then cut it into fine threads to be woven into the material. The sky-blue color (techelet in Hebrew, said by the Mishnah to resemble indigo) was a dye obtained from a snail known as the chilazon. The exact identification of this animal and the method used to produce the dye is the subject of extensive research. Presently most scholars believe it to be a Mediterranean snail known as murex trunculus. "The dark-red color (said by some to closely resemble purple), argaman in Hebrew, is also derived from a snail; possibly the murex trunculus as well. According to this theory, the difference in color is a result of the amount of time the substance is exposed to sunlight. The crimson color is produced from a worm called by the Bible the "crimson worm," tola'at shani in Hebrew - a mountain worm identified as kermes biblicus. The Hebrew word for linen is shesh, which means six. Researchers believe this requires each thread to be six-ply. The 12 stones for the breastplate presented another problem, since linguists don't agree on what the ancient names intend. Extensive research eventually revealed that ancient stones were classified by color, not gem family. "The final authority is the Midrash, which explains that the 12 tribes of Israel each had a flag, and that the flag color matched the stone representing that tribe on the high priest's breastplate. So maybe more than one stone could fit the requirement of the verse. We look at several criteria and find the best. That's the goal - to find the best possible." To date, the institute has created more than 60 vessels for use in the Temple; these include the showbread table, incense altar, and head and breast plates for the high priest. Perhaps the most exciting piece has been the golden menora showcased on a platform near the Western Wall. Made of a single piece of solid gold poured over a metal core, the half-ton fixture contains about 100 pounds of gold and is valued at $3,000,000. Its design and construction were based on rabbinic sources as well as Roman-Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, himself a priest who had served in the Temple. The Temple items are not intended to sit as museum pieces, but have been fashioned for actual use. The absence of a red heifer presents a problem, as its ashes must purify the priests, people and articles in accordance with Numbers 19. Citing security concerns, Richman would not comment on the search for a red heifer. The most recent development has been the mass production of priestly garments (see "Workshop opens to make Third Temple garments," August 2008). Recently the Temple Institute received rabbinic authorization to use special sewing machines to produce the apparel, bringing the price of each garment down from about $10,000 to $800. To date, dozens of Cohens (the word cohen means "priest" in Hebrew, indicating a direct descendent of Moses' brother Aaron) and derivatives such as Kowans, Kahanas, Canes, and Korens have placed orders. All these articles are exhibited at the Temple Institute in the Old City's Jewish Quarter. About 100,000 visitors, about half Christian, visit the institute yearly to learn about past Temples and preparations for the final one. Until construction of the Third Temple can begin, the institute seeks to build a World Center for Temple Knowledge outside Jaffa Gate. Partially subterranean, the 2,500-meter facility would not interfere with the view of the Old City walls, but would beautify an overlooked and often trash-cluttered lot. Slated to begin construction in 2012, the center would offer a 3-D virtual-reality experience of "going up to the Temple," as well as in-depth exhibits and galleries. Still, the long-term goal is to rebuild the Temple. Richman insists a paradigm shift in thinking is necessary. "Everything that goes on in this country relates to the spiritual struggle... especially within the people of Israel. It's all about who we are and what our destiny is. We weren't called to be doctors, lawyers or movie producers. That's not our destiny. We're called to be a nation of priests. "A Jew's attitude toward the Temple is a litmus test. We're talking about the big question: Who are we?"