Here is some interesting news sure to be of interest to
fellow Christian Zionists and Jews interested in building the Third Temple: Rabbi
Harry Moskoff believes the original first two Temples can be located on the
Temple Mount other than the defiling Dome of the Rock or Al Aqsa Mosque.
A term Christians should become familiar in relation to
Judaism – Hashem:
What is Hashem?
A name for God that simply means
"the Name."
Hashem is
a Hebrew term for God. Literally, it means “the name.” In the Bible the
Hebrew word for God is made up of four vowels, and according to tradition it
was only pronounced on Yom Kippur by the High Priest. Saying God’s name
was considered a very serious and powerful thing, so much so that one of
the Ten Commandments prohibits
us from saying God’s name in vain. As a result, people have come up with
various substitutions.
When reading Torah, we generally
substitute the word Adonai for the four letter
un-pronounceable name of God. Outside of reading Torah and praying,
God is often referred to as Hashem, a creative way of not saying God’s name. If
you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’s kind of the opposite of how Voldemort was
referred to as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
There are many other names for God
in Jewish tradition, including Adoshem, Yah, Yahweh, HaKadosh Baruch
Hu, El Shaddai, Av Harahamim, and Harahaman. (Hello My Name is -- Hashem; My Jewish Learning)
JRH 1/10/19
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Expert: Gold Dome of
the Rock Not Where Jewish Temples Stood
January 9, 2019, 2:18
pm
“Then Shlomo began to build the
House of Hashem in Yerushalayim on Mount Moriah, where [Hashem] had appeared to
his father David, at the place which David had designated, at the threshing
floor of Ornan the Jebusite”. II Chronicles 3:1 (The Israel Bible™)
[Blog Editor: Here is
an alternate translation for Christian Zionists unfamiliar with “The
Israel Bible” translation:
3 Now Solomon began to build
the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where [a]the Lord had
appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the
threshing floor of Ornan[b] the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3:
1 NKJV)]
View of the Temple Mount (Credit: David
Brummer/Breaking Israel News)
A Temple Mount expert, a rabbi who has been studying the
subject for years, combined his knowledge of Jewish sources and archaeology and
arrived at the conclusion that the Jewish Temples did not stand where visitors
now see the prominent golden Dome of the Rock.
The Temple Mount is the holiest
site in Judaism. To be more precise, the site draws its sanctity from the two
Temples that once stood there. Their precise location is a source of great
debate and many Jews refrain from entering the site lest they enter areas that
were restricted to Kohanim (priests) who were on the proper level of ritual
purity. Knowing the precise location of the Temples would permit all Jews to
ascend to the site as well as pave the way for a Third Temple to be built. Jews
who ascend the Temple Mount frequently look to the golden dome as the focal
point, believing the two Jewish Temples stood precisely there with the large
stone, the centerpiece of the Muslim shrine, as the base for the Holy of
Holies.
Rabbi Harry Moskoff, the author of the A.R.K. Report,
has come to a different conclusion; the Dome of the Rock is close but not on
spot. His 20-year search has led him through many possibilities.
Temple Mount at Dawn (Credit: Adam
Eliyahu Berkowitz/Breaking Israel News)
‘At first, I thought it was in the northern end of the
Temple Mount,” Moskoff told Breaking Israel News. He based this on
the research of Professor Asher Selig Kaufman of Hebrew University, who was
considered one of the leading experts on the subject until he passed away.
Moskoff corresponded with the professor regarding his theory. “He believed the
Holy of Holies was located where the Dome of the Spirits now stands.”
The Dome of the Spirits, Bir al-Arwah in
Arabic, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave. What lies beneath the
surface is unknown as the Muslim authorities refuse to allow even cursory observations
on the Mount.
Moskoff then began to investigate the theory proposed by
archaeologist Tuvia Sagiv who held that the Holy of Holies stood where
the al-Qas (cup) Fountain now stands, much further south than
the Dome of the Spirits. The fountain is the main ablution located between the
Dome of the Rock and the silver-domed Al Aqsa Mosque. The fountain was
originally supplied with water from Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem, but water
is now supplied by pipes.
“Each theory stood on the merits of its proofs but when
combined, some of the proofs each man brought canceled out the other theory,”
Moskoff said. Moskoff decided to continue his search for a location that would
satisfy all the proofs. But what had been made clear to was that the Dome of
the Rock did not satisfy any of the proofs.
“When it was built in the seventh century, the Caliph Abd
al-Malik ordered it built. He asked the Jews of Jerusalem where the Temple had
stood. He saw the ruins of the ruins of the Roman Temple of Jupiter that was
built by Hadrian after the second Bar Kochba Revolt in the second century. The
Jews intentionally misled him, telling him that those ruins were indeed the
remains of the Jewish Temple.”
Moskoff emphasized that the Dome of the Rock is shaped like
a Byzantine shrine and not like a typical mosque and does not face Mecca. He
noted that the layout of the Dome of the Rock in relation to Al-Aqsa Mosque is
identical to a temple of Jupiter found in Lebanon.
The Mishnah (oral law) states explicitly that the Holy of
Holies was not in the center of the Temple Mount. Moskoff pointed out that
topography was altered at several stages in history; during the reign of
the Hasmoneans and 200 years later by King. The Bible states that Solomon built
the Temple on the mountain.
Then Shlomo began to build the House
of Hashem in Yerushalayim on Mount Moriah, where
[Hashem] had appeared to his father David, at the place which David had designated, at the threshing floor
of Ornan the Jebusite. II Chronicles 3:1
“The verse states that it was on the mountain,” Moskoff said.
“It does not specify that it was at the top of the mountain. The Temple was
located on a threshing floor bought by King David. These are not located on
mountain tops. In the days of Solomon, the peak of the mountain was located
where the Dome of the Rock is.”
Sculpture of Maimonides – the Rambam – in
Cordoba, Spain. (Credit:
Shutterstock.com)
Moskoff also cited a personal account recorded by Rabbi
Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides and by the acronym Rambam who
was the foremost Torah authority of the 12th century. The Rambam visited
Jerusalem and ascended the Temple Mount, entering the Dome of the Rock.
“The Rambam would not have entered the building if he
thought it was the location of the Holy of holies,” Moskoff asserted.
Combining all of the archaeological hints and based on the
Jewish texts, Moskoff came to the conclusion that the Holy of Holies stood to
the southwest of the Dome of the Rock.
It is interesting to note that his theory indicates the
First Temple was tilted at an axis of 6.1975 degrees to the north of east in
order to directly face the sun as it rose on Mount Moriah. The Second Temple
was built on an axis of 5.971 degrees north of east. The change in alignment
was due to the 70 years separating the destruction of the first Temple from the
construction of the second. Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, one of the leading Haredi
(ultra-Orthodox) rabbis, and several other leading rabbis have written
decisions agreeing with Moskoff’s theory.
If proven accurate, Moskoff’s theory would permit the
construction of a structure for Jewish worship without infringing on the Muslim
structures currently at the site. Moskoff is working to bring his theory to the
attention of Israeli politicians.
“Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount needs to be advanced,”
Moskoff said. “It is important for the Arabs to know that we are intensely
interested in the site.”
He related an experience in which he witnessed a senior
Palestinian politician addressing a group of foreign press in Hebron.
Jews gather at the Cave of the Patriarchs for the
Slichot prayers before Rosh Hashana. (Credit:
Hebron Fund)
“It’s clear to us that the real Jews aren’t
interested in Hebron. The Palestinian official said to the press. “They don’t
consider it to be part of Israel. The only Jews who care about Hebron are the
settlers in jeans and sandals with their tzitzit hanging out. The real Jews,
the ones who wear black, the rabbis, they stay away.”
Moskoff learned a deep lesson from this.
“If we turn our backs or are the least bit apathetic about
any part of Israel, even the places that are the most holy and important to us,
we will lose them,” Moskoff said. “We need to show an intense interest in the
Temple Mount. We can’t just walk away or shrug our shoulders because the Arabs
are there.”
Moskoff’s theory would permit Jews to ascend to the Temple
Mount without fear of wandering into forbidden areas. But as a Kohen (a
descendant of Aaron and a member of the priestly caste) Moskoff warns that
visiting the site is not to be treated lightly and only recommends it under
specific conditions. A person who intends to ascend should prepare themselves
physically and spiritually. Jews are required to immerse in a mikveh (ritual
bath) and may not wear leather shoes. While on the site, a proper level of
reverence must be maintained and the sanctity of the site must be recognized.
“This last point shouldn’t be a problem,” Moskoff noted. “If
you have eyes to see Hashem in this world, the place glows with holiness.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Rabbi Moskoff has spent many years researching the subject but, as the article
noted, the Muslim authorities refuse to allow any observations or
archaeological research at the site. The article was intended to present Rabbi
Moskoff’s theory but at this point in time, it remains a theory. Anyone who has
any questions regarding the precise locations of the areas permitted to Jews on
the Temple Mount is urged to consult their preferred rabbinic authority.
____________________
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