22 Lessons
The Ninth of Av Will The Temple Be Built This Year?
Every year at this time, we mourn the destruction of the Temple and pray for its rebuilding. Does this mean that the Temple will actually be built this year?
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Still No Holy Temple - What Are We Missing?
I don't understand what exactly we are missing by not having a Beit Mikdash. Throughout both the Written and Oral Torahs we see that the Temple is something tremendous and amazing – but in order for me to really mourn over its absence, can you help me understand what exactly it will give us?
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Will Life With the Temple Rebuilt Still Be...Fun?
I'm quite afraid of what life will be like when the Temple is rebuilt. Does it mean that we won't be able to go to the beach anymore? Will we just learn and bring sacrifices all day?
Ein Aya Levi'im and Kohanim- What's the Difference?!
Ein Aya, Shabbat 2, 246
We all know that the Levi'im (Levites) have a special status & had unique roles in the Beit HaMikdash, but what is it? What's the common denominator between their singing, guarding, opening the gates & their role as the Torah teachers of Israel? Levi means "accompany" & they escort both the aristocratic Kohanim & the "lay" Israelite farmers. They are the visible & "hear-able" go-between at the entrance of the Temple, & the Torah educators who go around the country. They are not the super-stars, but rather represent the functional & necessary, which often go "unsung". A review of all of the details of the Levite laws beautifully show this point, & explain the Talmudic connection between them & Lashon Hara (negative speech).
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Sifting the Makom HaMikdash
Recently, someone asked me a shaylah that involves what is probably one of the most heart-breaking issues I was ever asked. The question was: “Are there any halachic issues involved in sifting through the earth removed by the Waqf from the Makom HaMikdash?” To explain this shaylah, I will first explain what has happened, then discuss the halachic issues involved — and finally explain the answers. There is also a fascinating halachic-architectural issue that I noticed while studying photographs of the Moslem construction, which I will discuss at the end of this article.
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Can We Offer the Korban Pesach Without the Beis HaMikdash?
Rav Tzvi Hersh Kalisher, the rav of Thorn, Germany, who had studied as a youth in the yeshivos of Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Nesivos HaMishpat (Rav Yaakov of Lisa), published a sefer advocating bringing korbanos in the location where the Beis HaMikdash once stood in Yerushalayim. Rav Kalisher considered it not only permissible to offer korbanos before the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, but even obligatory.
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Sifting the Makom HaMikdash
The Waqf have been constructing at Makom Hamikdash - our Holy of Holies, what are the Halachic implications of the finds? How does one regard the finds?
Jerusalem and The Holy Temple Sanctity - Past, Present, and Future
Does the sanctity of the Temple stem from the Divine Presence or from the Land of Israel? Is Jerusalem destined to be sanctified with a more exalted sanctity in the future? Does the sanctity of the First and Second Temples continue to exist today?
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Building the Temple Today
Just as the time for the Redemption is dependent upon Israel's merit, so the nature of the redemption depends upon Israel's worthiness. The sages teach, “If they are worthy - with Heavenly clouds; if they are not - a peasant riding on a donkey” (Sanhedrin 98a).
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash Coliseum or Temple?
What drove the Romans against the Jews was the Jews' “dangerous culture” - a culture which had begun to penetrate the Roman Empire. Judaism was educating the masses to behave according to the principle that says “man is created in God's image.”
The Laws of Three Weeks Rebuilding the Temple
The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks between the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th of Av are a time of sadness and danger. Rav Kook shows that they are also a time during which we can rebuild the Temple if we learn the secret of Causeless Love.
The Holy Temple - Beit Hamikdash The Sanctity of Temple Mount
What can we do today in order to strengthen our ties with the Temple? The first thing we can do is pray for the Temple’s speedy restoration. In addition, we must visit and gaze upon the site of the Temple. The act of gazing possesses great value.
