Tag: Temple Mount

No Jewish link to Jerusalem Temple Mount???

The 2000 year old Arch of Titus celebrates Roman victory over Judea, depicting soldiers carrying Jerusalem Temple treasures into Rome.

With the recent UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization!!!) vote denying any Jewish connection to the Western Wall and Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) where the Mosque of Omar and El Aksa Mosques stand today, I’d like to suggest that the supporters of the resolution visit the Arch of Titus situated close by the Coliseum next time they are in Rome. The 2000 year old arch was built to honor Titus who laid siege to Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. and destroyed the Jewish Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah.

Arch of Titus: Roman soldiers carrying the golden Menorah into Rome

Depicted on the arch are Roman soldiers carrying the Menorah (seven branched golden candelabrum) into Rome, as well as other Temple treasures such as the Golden Trumpets and Show Bread offering table which was made of acacia wood and covered with gold. The Jewish revolt against Roman tyranny and the attempt to reestablish independence broke out in Caesarea (Mediterranean coast) in 66 A.D. and ended seven years later with the fall of Masada in 73 A.D. The Western Wall is a remnant of the massive support walls that encircled and supported the Temple Mount platform and upon which the Moslems later built the Dome of the Rock mosque, also known as the Mosque of Omar.

16 October, 2016
Jerusalem: Marble floor tiles from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (photo Zachi Dvira)

2000 year old marble floor tiles from the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem brought to light.

Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira Temple Mount Sifting Project)

For the first time in history, actual decorative elements from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem have been brought to light! Exquisite marble floor tiles, made with meticulously cut stones of different colors – yellow, black, red, purple, white, and more have been recently recovered and pieced together, giving us insight into the great beauty of the Holy Temple of the Jews that stood on Mount Moriah and was destroyed by Titus the Roman in the year 70 AD. Archaeologists have so far been able to identify seven distinct floor tile patterns.

Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira)

We read about the impressive Temple floor tiles in various literary sources: Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian who actually served as a priest in the Jerusalem Temple wrote (Jewish Wars V,5,2), “Open courts were laid with stones of various colors.” In the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Bathra 4a) we read, “It used to be said, He who has not seen the Temple of Herod [in Jerusalem] as never seen a beautiful building. Of what did he build it? Rabbah said: Of yellow and white marble. Some say, of blue, yellow, and white marble.”

Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira)

Hundreds of colorful marble floor tile pieces have been discovered in a major sifting project undertaken by Israel Antiquities authority after Moslem religious authorities on the Temple Mount (where the golden dome Mosque of Omar and El Aksa mosques are located) illegally removed rubble beneath Mount Moriah, without conducting a proper archaeological excavation. The floor tiles were probably part of the monumental subterranean passageway built by Herod the Great that led up to the Courtyard of the Gentiles on the Temple Mount, and was used by pilgrims – such as Jesus, Mary, & Joseph – when they came to Jerusalem for Passover.

Visit Israel & see remains of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
I invite you to join me here in Israel and experience a 3-D living color Bible- a blessing without measure! We’ll learn about the Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah, visit the Temple Mount excavations, and even help wash the archaeological remains in search of artifacts.

Shalom! Shalom! Zack Shavin, Jerusalem

16 September, 2016
Western Wall

Western (Wailing) Wall

Touch biblical Jerusalem! Israel’s Western Wall or Wailing Wall, built by King Herod, supports the huge Temple Mount platform over Mount Moriah where Solomon’s Temple stood. Ask Zack Shavin about visiting and even celebrating your Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah there!

Biblical Jerusalem
Imagine a piece of ancient Jerusalem, so authentic, so well preserved, that what you see today is exactly what was seen by the local people and tens of thousands of Passover pilgrims that made their way up to the great Holy Temple 2000 years ago! It is called in Hebrew the Kotel Ma-aravi or Western Wall, and is a perfectly preserved remnant of the massive outer retainer walls that encompassed the Temple itself. Originally over 1500 feet long and 100 feet high, the Western Wall was one of four incredibly massive walls that not only protected the Temple, but also supported a massive platform which covered an area equivalent to 15 football fields and upon which the 200 foot high marble and gold Temple stood.

Wasn’t the Temple destroyed by the Romans?
Indeed, the Temple building itself – considered one of the wonders of the ancient world – was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 A.D. But the platform upon which the Temple stood, covering an area of 15 football fields, and the outer retainer walls, were preserved. It was just too massive to totally demolish. The smallest of the stones in the Western Wall weigh 3 tons each, the largest about 500 tons- as much as 10 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks!

Why do we pray at the Western Wall? Why this spot?
It is important to understand, that this place is Mount Moriahitself, where Abraham brought Isaac, almost 4000 years ago. About 1000 years after Abraham, King Solomon was given the privilege of building the Temple here, permanently replacing the desert Tabernacle. The Bible tells us that upon completing the Temple, ruach elohim- the spirit of God- filled the House. Otherwise it would have remained just a beautiful man-made building.

Shekinah: Divine Presence
In other words, the Shekinah- the Divine Presence- is intimately associated with the area. Indeed, the Temple is called “Beit HaMikdash” in Hebrew, which means “House of Holiness”. God is pure holiness; divine holiness came to rest here. God, Yahweh- HaShem- chose this place- it is unique in all the world! Two thousand years ago Jewish people prayed at the Temple itself. Today, the gold-domed Mosque of Omar stands over the spot and is closed to non-Moslems for prayer purposes. While we cannot pray on the Temple Mount itself, we can do so at the Western Wall. There we literally touch a remnant of the Temple complex and connect with our roots, faith, and heritage.

8 January, 2013